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COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY W. A. FOSTER 




DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN 



SEVEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINTH THOUSAND. 






b 



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^QlmOFfflEMBbE 



TOLD IK^Mfel^E LANGUAGE 

' ~n{ expect 




BY CHARLES FOSTER 



WITH THREE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS 

(Drawn and Engraved for this Book) 



PUBLISHED BY THE 



CHARLES FOSTER PUBLISHING CO. 

No. 716 Sansom Street 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



> 5 tL 



TO EVERY READER OF THIS BOOK 



\* 



Since the publication of the "Story of the Bible," a great many good 
people have read and approved of it. But some fetv have found fault ; they 
say they do not think the words of the Bible ought to be changed as they are 
in this book. Especially they object to any change where the words are spoken 

words. 

To show you what I mean :— On the seventh page, in the account of the 
creation, we read that God said, " Let there be light." In this place there is 
no change. These are the exact words that we read in the Bible. But on 
page four hundred and twenty -nine, where we are told how God sent the prophet 
Ezekiel to speak to the captive Jews, we read that God said to him, " I send thee 
to them because they are a disobedient people ; both they and their fathers 
have disobeyed me. Yet thou shalt tell them my message, whether they will 
hear, or whether they will not hear." In this place the words are changed. 
They are not the same words that are given in the Bible, as you will see by 
turning to the second chapter of Ezekiel and reading from the third verse. 

Now, because some persons object to such changes, I wish to give my 
reason for making them. I do it because children, and others for whom 
this book was written, would not understand the words in the Bible. I have 
found when reading the Bible to them that they want to have those words 
explained. Therefore I have tried to use in this book simpler words, such as 
they can understand, and not only understand, but read for themselves. ' 

But although I have changed the words, I have tried to give their true 
meaning. In doing this, (praying at the same time that God would help me 
to do it), I hope I have not done wrong, nor what is displeasing to him. Yet I 
think it is well for me to tell every one who reads the book, here in the very 
beginning of it, that these changes have been made, and that the ' Story of 
the Bible" is not the Bible, nor meant to take the Bible's place. On the 
contrary, it is meant to interest those who read it in the things that the Bible 
teaches, so that they will want to read about those things, and study them in 

the Bible itself. 

CHARLES FOSTER. 



Copyright 1873, 1877 .. i$Bo, and 18S4, 
By CHARLES FOSTER. 



Copyright iyoi, 1905. 1908. and 1911, 
By W. A. FOSTER. 



CI.A289617 




PREFACE 



The author of this book, during many years' experience as a teacher 
of the Scriptures, both in the Sunday-school and the home circle, felt the 
need of a simple version of the main portions of the Bible, which would 
give not only its stories, its precepts, and its doctrines in a continuous 

3 



4 PREFACE 

form, but would also show the connection and unity between the Old 
and the New Testaments. Being unable to find such a work, he has 
endeavored to prepare one ; and in this volume offers the result of his 
labors, hoping it may supply a want which he believes others have felt 
equally with himself. 

In writing this book, his object has been — 

First. To include all of Scripture that may most profitably be in- 
cluded in a work of its character and purpose. 

Secondly. To follow closely the Sacred Narrative, adhering to its 
details and maintaining a reverential spirit. 

Thirdly. To add no more of comment than is necessary to the 
elucidation of the text ; and 

Fourthly. To employ such simple language and forms of expression 
as, (while not undignified, nor displeasing to more mature and cultured 
minds), shall be intelligible to children without further explanation. 







CONTENTS 



Genesis 
Exodus 
Leviticus 

NUxMBERS . 

Deuteronomy 

Joshua 

Judges . 

Ruth 

Job 



PAGE 

7 

9 1 

133 

144 

168 

177 

193 
218 

223 



6 CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Jonah 22 9 

First Samuel . . 2 33 

Second Samuel 28 3 

Kings and Chronicles 3° 8 

The Story of the Kingdom of Israel ...... 3 2 4 

The Story of the Kingdom of Judah 380 

Jeremiah ....•••••••• 4 2 5 

Ezekiel ......••••• 

Daniel .....••••••' 

Ezra 457 

468 

481 



428 
438 



Esther ...••••••••" 

Nehemiah i .... i.. •••"••' ■ 

Connection between the Old and New Testaments . . • 49 1 

The Gospels 499 

The Acts of the Apostles ■ 6 3° 

The Epistles 6 94 

The Revelation of St. John 6 97 





OLD TESTAMg^* 



THE 



STORY OF THE BIBLE 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



CHAPTERS I, II (1, 2) 

GOD MAKES THE EARTH AND THE SKIES IN SIX DAYS: HE MAKES ADAM AND 
THE WOMAN, AND PLACES THEM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN. 

A very long while ago, before anybody can remember, God 
made the world. Yet it did not look at first as it does now, 
for there was nothing living on it — no men, nor animals, nor 
birds; and there was nothing growing on it — no trees, nor 
bushes, nor flowers; but it was all lonely and dark everywhere. 

Then God made the light. He said, Let there be light; and 
the light came. And God saw the light and was pleased with it, 
and he gave the light a name ; he called it Day. And when the 
day was gone and the darkness came again to stay for a little 

7 



8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

while, he called that darkness Night. God did these things on 

1116 And God made the clouds, and he made the sky up above the 
world where the clouds should be; and he gave the sky a name, 
he called it Heaven. God did this on the second day. 

And God said that the waters should go into one place by 
themselves, and when they had gone into that one place, and 
were very deep and wide there, God gave the waters a name; 
he caned them Seas, and the dry land he called Earth. And 
God made the grass to grow up out of the earth and the bushes 
and the trees, that have fruit on them. And the grass and the 
bushes and the trees were to bear seeds, so that, when those seeds 
were Planted in the ground, some more grass, or other bushes or 
Tees wouM grow thfre. God did these things on the third day. 
And God'made two great lights, the sun to shine in the day 
and the moon to shine in the night ; he made the stars also. And 
he set the sun and moon and the stars up in the sky, where 
we see them now. God did this on the fourth day. 

And he made the great whales, and all the fishes that swim 
about in the sea; and the birds also, some to fly over the water 
aX im upon i and live near it, like ducks and geese ; and some 
oh a" I time upon the land and in the ^*^ 
robins pi-eons, and wrens. God made these on the fifth day 
10 And'God made the animals, those that are wWW hve 
out in the forest, such as elephants, hons, tigers and bears, and 

r x a a s r ir: tr^TC th *^irz 

a^tSS^«- ^ and the flies that fly about 

^ And" God made man and spoke kindly to him and told him 
that he'shtld be master over the fish of the sea the birds of the 
a ir and over every thing that was living on the earth. Ana 
God tl man tha/the fruit which grew on the trees^ andontij 
bushes should be his food. The animals were given the grass and 

^S^od " lilt things he had made, and was 
pleased with them ; and this was the sixth day. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 9 

So the earth and the skies were finished in six days: the 
seventh day God rested from all his work, and the Bible tells us 
he sanctified the seventh day; that is, he separated it from the 
other days of the week and made it a holy day. 




THE GARDEN OF EDEN 



Now we have been told how the earth and the skies were 
made; God made them. And he made every bush and every 
tree ; for there had been no rain to make them grow, and no man 
to plant them; but after God had planted them, the trees, the 
bushes, and the grass took root and grew by themselves. 

And God made man out of the dust that lies on the' ground ; 
and he breathed into him, and then the man breathed, and moved, 
and was alive, because God had breathed into him. And the Lord 



IO 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



God planted a garden for the man he had made. It was called 
the garden of Eden; in that garden God made to grow every 
tree that was beautiful to look at, and that bore fruit good to eat. 
A river flowed through the garden and watered it. 

And God took Adam, the man he had made, and put him into 
the garden to take care of it; God told him 'he might eat of the 
fruit of every tree in the garden except one ; that one was called 
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God said he must 
not eat of that tree, for if he did eat of it he should surely die. 
And God said it was not good that the man should be alone, 
therefore God made some one to be with him and help him. He 
caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleep- 
ing God took out of his side a piece of bone, and of that bone 
he made a woman. And God brought the woman he had made 
to Adam, and she was his wife. 

And all the animals and the birds came to Adam; God sent 
them to him that he might give them their names, and whatever 
Adam called each one was its name. 



CHAPTERS III-V (3-5) 

OFFERINGS TO GOD. CAIN KILLS ABEL. ^^^ 

• Now there was a serpent in the garden of Eden. And the 

serpent spoke to the woman, yet not of itself; but Satan, that 

wicked Spirit that comes into our hearts and temp* us to an, 

went into the serpent and tempted the woman to sin. The 

Terpent asked her. Has God said you shall not eat of every toe 

n the garden ? The woman answered that they might cat of all 

he trees except one, hut of it God had commanded them not to 

a est thev snould die. Then the serpent told her they should 

not die, and that God had forbidden them to eat of the tree be- 

rause it would make them wise. 

The woman listened to what the serpent said and when she 
saw that the tree was beautiful to look at, and that the fiu.t 



THE BOOK OF GENESTS 



ii 



seemed good to eat, and remembered that the serpent had said it 
would make her wise, she took some of the fruit and did eat of 
it, and gave also to her husband and he did eat. 

After they had eaten they heard a voice in the garden ; they 
knew it was God's voice, yet they did not come when they heard 




ADAM AND EVE ARE DRIVEN OUT OF THE GARDEN 

it. They were afraid, and hid themselves among the trees. But 
God spoke again, and called to Adam, saying, Where art thou ? 
Adam answered, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was 
afraid and hid myself. And God said, Hast thou eaten of the 
tree I commanded thee not to eat of? Then Adam began to 
make excuse, and blame the woman ; he said, The woman whom 
thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the fruit, and I did eat. 
And God said to the woman, What is this that thou hast done ? 
The woman answered, The serpent deceived me, and I did eat. 



12 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



And God was angry with Adam and the woman, and with the 
serpent. The serpent, he said, should be punished by having to 
crawl on the ground, with its mouth in the dust, all the days of 
its life. He told the woman, also, she should have sickness and 
sorrow. And God drove 
Adam and his wife out of 



the beautiful garden, and 
would let them live there 




no longer. And he sent cherubim, 
or angels, that kept watch, and a 
fiery sword that turned every way, 
to prevent them from going into the 
garden again. And to Adam God said, that because he had 
listened to his wife's voice, and eaten of the tree which the Lord 
commanded him not to eat of, the ground should not any more 
bear fruit for him by itself, and without his labor, as it used to 
do in the garden of Eden, but it should send up thorns and 
thistles. And Adam would have to work very hard, as long 
as he lived, to raise food to eat; and when he should die, God 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS , 13 

said, his body would go back to dust again, like the dust out of 
which the Lord had made him. 

Yet God prepared a way for Adam and his wife to be saved 
from any more punishment after they should be dead. They 
could not be saved from sorrow and trouble while they were 
living in this world, but after they should die, and their souls 
should go into the next world, God prepared a way for them not 
to be punished there. And this is the way: He promised to 
send a Saviour who would be punished in their place ; so that, if 
Adam and his wife repented of their sin and believed in that 
Saviour, they would be forgiven, and, after they died, taken up 
to heaven, where they would be as happy as if they had never 
sinned at all. And this Saviour was not to be punished for them 
alone, but for their children also. For since Adam and his wife 
had sinned and made their own hearts wicked, their children 
would have wicked hearts too ; because children must be of the 
same nature as their parents. 

Adam gave his wife a name; he called her Eve. And God 
made coats for them out of the skins of animals. 

After they had been driven out of the garden of Eden, God 
gave Adam and Eve two sons; the elder one was named Cain, 
the younger one Abel. When they grew up to be men, Cain 
was a farmer or gardener ; Abel was a shepherd and kept a flock 
of sheep. And they both had wicked hearts, like their parents, 
which often caused them to sin. But Abel repented of his sins, 
and believed the promise which God had made to send a Saviour. 
And one day he brought a lamb from his flock and offered it to 
God. The way he offered it was to kill it first, and then burn it 
on an altar. An altar was a pile of stones, or earth, with a flat 
top, heaped up as high as a table. He put some wood on this 
altar, all cut and ready to burn; then laid the lamb, after it 
was killed, on the wood; next he set fire to the wood, and that 
burned up the lamb, so there was nothing left on the altar but 
ashes. 

God was pleased that Abel should worship him in this way, 
because the lamb that he brought was like the Saviour that God 
had promised. It was gentle, and patient, and innocent, like 



i 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

him- and when Abel killed it, and offered it on the altar, it 
seemed like that Saviour who was coming, after many years, to 
die for his sins. The lamb meant the Saviour, or represented 
him and therefore God was pleased with Abel and his offering. 
But Cain did not repent of his sins, nor. believe God's promise 
to send a Saviour; and when he brought his offering it was not 





CAIN AND ABEL OFFERING UP SACRIFICES 



a lamb, but some fruit, or grain, taken out of the field or from 
the trees of his garden; and God was not pleased with Cam or 
his offering. When Cain saw this, he was W and showed 
plainly, by his looks, that he was angry with God Yet God 
spoke kindly to him, and asked why he was ; angry. H Cain 
did right, God said, he would be pleased with him; and if he 
did not do right, the fault was his own. 

And Cain hated Abel, because God was pleased with Abel s 
offering, but not with his. And one day when they were out in 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 15 

the field together, he rose up and killed him; and the blood ran 
out of Abel's wounds and sank into the ground. After Cain had 
done this, God spoke to him, and said, Where is Abel, thy bro- 
ther? Cain answered, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? 
Yet God saw all that Cain had done, and now, he said, as a pun- 
ishment for killing Abel, Cain should be a fugitive and a vaga- 
bond in the earth; that is, he should flee about the earth from 
one place to another, as a person who was always afraid, and 
who had no home to stay in. 

God said, also, that when Cain planted anything out in the 
field to bear food, it should not grow well. It would die, or 
briars and weeds would come up and choke it, or it would bear 
leaves, but no fruit; so that Cain would have hardly enough to 
eat. Then Cain said, that as God had driven him away and 
would no longer take care of him, every one who should meet 
him would want to kill him. But God said that whoever killed 
Cain should be punished with a very dreadful punishment; 
for God chose to punish Cain himself, and not that any man 
should punish him. 

And God set a mark on Cain. We are not told what sort of 
a mark it was, but it was something which other people could 
see; and when they saw it, they knew Cain, and remembered 
God's command that no one should kill him. 

Adam lived a great many years after this, and God gave him 
other children beside Cain and Abel. But when he was nine 
hundred and thirty years old he died, and his body went to dust 
again, as God said it should when he ate of the forbidden fruit in 
the garden of Eden. Nine hundred and thirty years was a very 
long time for a man to live, but God allowed men to live much 
longer then than they do now. 

And Adam died, and his children, but their children lived 
still. We are told the names of some of the men who lived in 
those days. One of them was called Enoch. The Bible says 
of him that he walked with God. This means that he loved 
God, and remembered him all the time, as if he had been 
walking beside him, with his hand in his, listening to what God 
said, and trying to please and obey him in every thing he did. 



16 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

After Enoch had lived three hundred and sixty-five years, 
God did a wonderful thing for him; he took him up to heaven 
while he was alive. Enoch did not die like other men; but 
God took him up without his dying, just as if he were to take 
up one of us now. 

Enoch had a son named Methuselah, who, when he died, was 
nine hundred and sixty-nine years old. We are not told of any 
other man as old as this; therefore Methuselah is called the 
oldest man that ever lived. 



CHAPTERS VI-IX (6-9) 

THE PEOPLE GROW VERY WICKED. GOD SAYS HE WILL DESTROY THEM BY 
A FLOOD. HE COMMANDS NOAH TO BUILD AN ARK AND GO INTO IT. 
NOAH OBEYS. THE FLOOD DESTROYS EVERY THING THAT LIVES ON THE 
DRY LAND. NOAH COMES OUT OF THE ARK AFTER THE FLOOD. 

After a long while, when there came to be many more people 
living in the world, they grew very wicked. Their hearts were 
filled with sinful thoughts and all their acts were evil, for they 
did not care to please God, or even try to obey him. Therefore 
God was angry with them, and said he would punish them by 
sending a flood that should cover the earth with deep water, 
and drown all the people, the animals, the birds, and every thing 
that lived upon the ground. For almost all the people in the 
world were very wicked, and yet not quite all; there was one 
good man whose name was Noah. The Bible tells us he was a 
just man, and that he walked with God, as Enoch did. There- 
fore God loved Noah, and told him of the flood he was going 

to send. 

And God commanded Noah to build an ark. This was a great 
boat. It was to be very large, with rooms in it, and a window, 
and a great door in its side, and was to be three stories high. 
And God told Noah that when the ark was finished, he and his 
sons and their wives should go into it. And he commanded Noah 
to take in with him some of every kind of beast, and of every 




CAIN KILLS ABEL 



17 



l8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

kind of bird, and of every kind of insect, to keep them alive 
while the flood should be on the earth; for all that were not in 
the ark would be drowned. 

Then Noah began to build the ark. It took him a great 
while to build it, perhaps more than a .hundred years; but, 

as we have read, men 



lived much longer then 
than they do now . And 
Noah not only worked at 
building the ark — the 
Bible says he was a 
preacher; he used to 
speak to the people 
about God, and about 
the punishment that was 
coming upon them for 
their sins. But they 
would not repent, nor 
believe what he told 
them; so that he had 
to hear their wicked 
words and see their 
wicked acts all the time 
he was building the ark. 




ENTERING THE ARK 



Yet he worked on patiently, until at last he finished it as God 
had commanded him. . 

Then God spoke to Noah and told him to come, with all his 
family, into the ark; for God said he had seen him to be a good 
man among all those wicked men who were living on the earth. 
And God told Noah to bring the birds and the beasts also with 
him into the ark, for in seven days he would send the ram on the 
earth, and every thing that was living on the dry land should be 
drowned. And Noah did as God commanded. He was six 
hundred years old when the flood came on the earth. And he 
went with his wife, and his three sons and their wives, into the 
ark, and took the beasts, the birds, and the insects in with 
him When they were all safe inside, God shut them in. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



19 



After seven days the rain began, and it rained, without stop- 
ping, forty days and forty nights. The Bible says the windows 
of heaven were opened ; this means that the rain came down not 
only in little drops, as we see it come, but it came as if poured 
out of great windows up in the sky. And the springs, the creeks, 
the rivers, and the great ocean, all began to rise up and overflow 
the land. After a while the water came to where the ark was, 




THE FLOOD 



underneath and around it ; it rose higher and higher till the ark 
floated and was lifted up from the place where Noah had been 
building it so long, and the ground everywhere began to be covered. 
What now were those men to do who would not obey God, nor 
listen to the preaching of Noah? Before the rain came they 
thought there would be no flood, and that Noah wanted only to 
make them afraid. Now the flood had come, and they saw that 
all he had told them was true. How glad they would have been 



20 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



to eo with him into the ark, but it was too late. No doubt they 
climbed up to the highest places on the hills and mountains; but 
the hills and mountains were covered at last; there was no other 
place for them to go, and all the people in the world, except those 
few in the ark, were drowned. And every beast and bird and 
little insect, except those in the ark, were drowned also. Then 
all the earth was covered with water. There was no lana to be 
seen anvwhere; only the ark could be seen floating alone, with 
the water all around it and the sky above. 

But God remembered Noah, and took care of him and of those 
who were with him, through all that dreadful storm. He kept 
the ark safe till the rain stopped, and the waters began to flow 
back again into the seas and rivers and springs underground, 
where they were before the flood. 

After Noah had been in the ark a hundred and fifty days, the 
waters were gone down so much that the ark rested on the top ot a 
mountain called Ararat. There it stood, resting on the top of the 

mountain, for more 
than two months. 
By that time the 
waters were- lower 
still, and the tops 
of other mountains 
could be seen peep- 
ing above them. 
And Noah opened 

the window of the 
ark and let a raven 
go; and the raven 
flew about over the 

THE TOPS OP THE MOUNTAINS APPEAR Water and TOOSted at 

night on the tops ot 
the mountains, or on the roof of the ark, but never came back to 
Noah again. Then Noah sent out another bird ; it was a dove. 
He sent it that it might flv off and see whether the waters had left 
the ground dry yet/ But they had not left it dry. Although the 
tops of the mountains were not covered, the rest of the ground 




THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



21 



was ; and the dove found no pleasant place with trees and flowers, 
where she would like to stay away from her mate; so she came 
back to the window of the ark, and Noah put out his hand and 
took .her in. 

Then Noah waited seven days longer and sent her out again, 
and in the evening she came back to him as before, but this time 
with a leaf in her mouth, plucked off from an olive tree. When 




NOAH RECEIVES THE DOVE 



Noah saw the leaf, he knew that the waters must have gone down 
greatly, or the dove could not have found it. God had taught 
the dove to pluck that leaf and carry it to Noah, so that he might 
know the ground would soon be dry. And he waited another 
seven days and sent the dove forth once more; but she did not 
come back to him again. For by this time no doubt the woods 
were pleasant to fly about in, much pleasanter than the ark 
where she had been shut up so long. And beside, God kept the 



22 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



dove from going back to Noah, so that he might be sure it was 
almost time for him to come out of the ark. 

And Noah looked and saw that the ground was dry. And 
God spoke to him, and told him to come out of the ark, and to 
bring out also his wife and his sons and t their wives, and the 
animals, the birds, and the insects that had been in the ark 




NOAH OFFERS UP A SACRIFICE 

with him. So Noah came out and brought every living thing, 
and they walked on the dry ground. And Noah built an altar, 
as Abel had done, and offered up animals and birds upon it to 
the Lord, who had saved him and his family from the flood 
while all the other people in the world were drowned. 

And God spoke kindly to Noah and his sons, and said they 
should be masters over every thing living on the earth: and God 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 23 

told them they might kill the animals for food. He had given 
Adam only the fruits which grew on the trees and the bushes 
for food; but now, after the flood, he said that men might kill 
and eat any animal they chose. 

And God promised that he would never send another flood on 
the earth to drown all the people as this one had done. And he 
gave Noah a token; that was something to make him remember 
and believe God's promise, so that he never need be afraid of a 
flood any more. This token was a beautiful thing, and God set 
it up in the sky, where Noah could often see it, and as often as 
he should see it he would think of God's promise. The token 
that God gave Noah was the rainbow. 

Noah lived after the flood many years: but when he was nine 
hundred and fifty years old he died. 






CHAPTERS XI-XVII (11-17) 



THE PEOPLE BEGIN TO BUILD THE TOWER OF BABEL; THEY ARE MADE TO 
SPEAK IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, AND ARE SCATTERED OVER THE 
EARTH. ABRAM AND LOT COME INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN. LOT 
GOES TO LIVE ON THE PLAIN OF JORDAN. ISAAC IS PROMISED. ISHMAEL 
IS BORN. 

And God gave to Noah's sons children of their own. They, 
when they grew up, had children too, so that after a while 
there came to be a great many people in the world once more. 

Now we should think that these people would have been very 
careful not to offend God. They knew how the men who had 
offended him before were punished, and though God had prom- 
ised never to send another flood, there were many other ways in 
which he might punish them. He might send sickness upon 
them, or give them no food, and leave them to starve; or he 
might send down fire from heaven to burn them. But they 
seemed to forget this, and as their hearts were wicked, they went 
on as the men before the flood had done, sinning against him. 

There was only one language in the world then. The people 
all talked alike, and could all understand each other; and as 
they journeyed from the east they came to a plain in the land 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of Shinar, and stopped there. And they said one to another 
Let us make brick and build a tower whose top may reach up to 
heaven And they began to build it. We are not told why 
they wanted to build this tower. But God, who saw their hearts 
K££it was for some wicked purpose. Perhaps they did 
STbd^e God's promise, that he would never send another 
Sood o Tthe earth" and thought, if he should send one this 
fower would be so high that the waters could not overflow it and 
hly would climb upinto it and be safe. Or perhaps t h ey but t 
it as a sort of temple, or church, not to worship God m, but idols. 
And the Lord came down from heaven to see the tower which 

the people were building, and he saw it and was disp eased, 
tne peopie w &, ^^ he did a won derful thing 

to stop them. He made them, 
all at once, begin to speak in 
different languages, such as they 
had never spoken before. They 
could not go on building now, 
because they were not able to 
understand each other's words. 
Therefore they had to cease 
building before the tower was 
done. After that they would 
not all of them wish to live 
together any more. Only those 
would wish to live together who 




BUILDING THE TOWER OF BABEL 



spoke the same language, and they would go off to some place 
where they could be by themselves. Th.s is the way that peo 
pie at nrsl were separated from one another and came to hve 
in different parts of the world. , 

The tower which they tried to build, but which God would 
not allow them to finish, was called the tower of Babel Babe 
means confusion. When the people began to *,dto 
languages, so that they could not understand each other it made 
confusion there. Therefore this tower was called the tower of 

^ Many years after these things, there lived in the land of Ur a 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 25 

man named Abram. The people of that land worshipped idols. 
And God told Abram to leave his home and his relations, and 
go to another land which he would show him. Abram did not 
know what land it was, yet he left his friends and his home 
as he was commanded to do. For he had faith; he believed 
that God would bring him to the land he had told him of. 

Abram was seventy-five years old: and he took his wife, 
whose name was Sarai, and his brother's son, whose name was 
Lot, and they started to go to the land which God had promised 
to show him. It was a long journey there; he had to cross over 
wide rivers and a desert, where the country was lonely and wild. 
Yet God took care of him and of those who were with him, and 
brought them safely to the promised land. It was called the 
land of Canaan. 

And Abram came to a place in Canaan called Shechem. 
While he was there God spoke to him and told him he would 
give all the land of Canaan to his descendants. Abram's de- 
scendants were his children and his children's children, who 
should live long after Abram himself was dead. They were to 
live in the land of Canaan, and it was to be their land. And 
Abram built an altar at Shechem. Afterward he left Shechem 
and came to a mountain, and there built another altar and 
offered up a sacrifice to the Lord. 

And he went on journeying through the land. Other people 
were living there then, but God kept them from doing him any 
harm. And there was a famine in the land. It is a famine in 
any place when the grass and the corn will not grow there, so 
that the people have nothing for themselves or their cattle to eat. 
And now there was a famine in Canaan. Therefore Abram 
went into another country called Egypt, and Lot, his brother's 
son, went with him. Egypt was a good way from Canaan. 
Abram did not go there to stay, but only to wait till the famine 
should be over in Canaan, and after it was over he and Lot re- 
turned again. And they came to Shechem, where Abram had 
first built an altar in the land; and there, again, he offered up a 
sacrifice to the Lord. 

Now Abram was very rich: he had much silver and gold and 



26 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

a great many cattle. Lot had cattle, too-herds of cattle and 
Lts for he and Abram did not live in houses, but in tent,, 
was better for them to live in tents than m b^£<g£ 
because they moved so much oftener than we do. After they _ 
hd been long enough in one place for then: catde tc .eat up ^ 
arass there they left it and went to another. Then they tools 
down he r tents and carried them wherever they went. Bes.de 
ty did not need houses as we do, because it was never so cold 

111 X^/ L^hld^ch of them, a great many cattle, and 
they had men called herdsmen to take care <* ^««^ 
these men quarrelled. Abram's herdsmen and Lot s herdsmen 
auarreTled with each other. When Abram heard tins, he spoke 
?oTot about it And how did he speak ? Did he say, 1 h,s is 
1 land God has given it to me, and you must move away 
Snewhere else? No; he spoke kindly to Lot and sa.d Let 
tee be no strife between me and thee, and between my herds- 
men and thy herdsmen. Then Abram told Lot he migh go 
any part of the land that he chose to live m, and Abram sa.d 

116 I^lS ££ "of Jordan. The Jordan is a .river 
and the pi of Jordan was the level ^g^^ 
the river flowed. Then Lot took his cattle and his herdsmen 
and went awav from Abram to live on the plain of Jordan. 
And some cities wer ? there; one of them ^ was *™*J^ 
The men of Sodom were very wicked, yet Lot went to live in 
la dty He was not a wicked man himself, he served God 
lut h went to live among wicked men, because there he migh 
have better pasture for his cattle and so increase his riches. He 
Sid not have done this, and we shall see afterward how much 

trouble it caused him. ,, , . 

After Lot had gone, the Lord spoke to Abram and told him 
he would give all that land, as far as he could see it to him and 
to hTs descendants. And God said he would nuta Atom. 
descendants so many that no one could count .tem^ Then 
Abram moved his tent and came to a place called ^^f 
there he built an altar to the Lord. Th.s made three altars he 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 2; 

had built since he came into Canaan; so we see, as he journeyed 
from one place to another, he loved to have an altar near him 
that he might offer up sacrifices and worship the Lord. 

And there was war on the plain of Jordan. Four kings 
came there with an army, and fought against the city of Sodom 
where Lot lived, and they gained the victory. Then they went 
into the houses and carried off the spoil, that is, food and money 
and clothing, and everything that they wanted . They took some 
of the people, and Lot also, away with them as captives, or slaves 
When Abram heard of it, he gathered his servants together and 
followed after them. The Bible tells us he had three hundred 
and eighteen servants. This was a large number for one person 
to have, but Abram owned great flocks of sheep and herds of cat- 
tle and camels, and he needed many servants to take care of them. 
And beside his servants some of the men of the land, who were 
his friends, went with him to help him against the four kings. 

And he came up with them and fought with them, and God 
gave him the victory. Then he took all the captives and the 
spoil which they had carried away, and brought them back to 
Sodom. As he was coming there, Melchizedek, the king of a 
city called Salem, who was also a minister of God, came out to 
meet Abram, bringing him bread and wine. And Melchizedek 
blessed Abram, that is, he asked that God might bless him and 
be good to him; and he thanked God for giving Abram the vic- 
tory. And Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth part of all the 
things he had taken from his enemies. When the king of Sodom 
saw how Abram had brought back the captives which the four 
kings had carried away, he said to him, Give the captives to me 
that I may send them to their own homes again, but keep the 
spoil for thyself. But Abram said he had made a promise to 
God not to keep anything for himself. The men who had gone 
with him to help him might take their share of the spoil, he 
said, but he would take nothing. 

( After this God spoke to Abram and told him that he was his 
friend. But Abram said that God had never given him a child. 
Then God promised to give him a son. And he brought Abram 
out and told him to look up at the stars as they shone in the 



2 g THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

,kv and asked him whether he could count them. And God said 
S Abram s descendants should be as the stars, so many they 
could not be counted. God told Abram also that his ; descend^ 
Z should live in another country that was not theirs, and 
th2 the people would treat them cruelly for many years. Yet 




MELCHIZEDEK BLESSES ABRAM 



God said he would punish the people who treated them so and 
afterward would bring Abram's descendants out o that and 
with "reat riches. But this was not to happen until long alter 
to was dead, for God told him he should live to be an old 
man and should die in peace. 

And Sarai, Abram's wife, had a handmaid; that is, a v,oman 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 2Q 

who was her servant. The woman's name was Hagar; she 
came from Egypt, perhaps when Abram came from that country 
after there had been a famine in Canaan. But Hagar displeased 
her mistress Sarai, and Sarai was angry with her and punished 
her. Then Hagar fled into the lonely wilderness where no one 
lived, so that she might not be punished again. 

And the angel of the Lord found her there by a spring of 
water; and he asked where she came from and to what place^she 
was going. She answered that she had fled from her mistress 
Sarai. Then the angel told her to go back to her mistress and 
obey what she said to her; he told Hagar also that she would 
have a son whose name should be Ishmael, and that he would be 
a wild man: he would fight against other men, and other men 
would fight against him. So Hagar went back to Sarai, and 
afterward God gave her a son whose name was called Ishmael. 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old God talked with him 
again, and Abram bowed down with his face to the ground while 
God talked with him. And God told him again that his de- 
scendants should be very many, and some of them, he said, 
should be kings. And God made a covenant, or agreement i 
with Abram and his descendants, and said that he would be 
their God. And he promised again to give them the land of 
Canaan for their own land. And he said to Abram, Thv name 
shall not any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be 
Abraham, which means the Father of a great many people. 
And Sarai's name, he said, should be. Sarah, which means 
Princess. So the Lord changed both their names. And he 
promised again to give Abraham and Sarah a son, whose name 
should be Isaac. Then, after the Lord was done talking with 
him, he went up from Abraham toward heaven. 



3° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



CHAPTERS XVIII-XXI (18 -21) 

i^t^tc -rn wqTT^OY SODOM AND GOMORRAH. LOT 

IHE A L r D Hi r Z «« S« HXS WIEE XS CHANGED INTO 
AND HIS TWO DALO ABRAHAM SENDS HAGAR AND 

£££>£. » kTkOO, GERAR AND ABRAHAM MAK E A COVENANT 
TOGETHER. 

Abraham was sitting one day at his tent-door, in the hot 
narfof the day. And he looked up and saw three men stand- 
Fn. near him Then he ran out to meet them and bowed 
do°wn before them toward the ground, for so they used to we- 
u come strangers in that 

land. And Abraham 
asked the men to rest 
under the tree, and to let 
some water be brought 
that they might wash 
their feet. 

In those days people 
did not wear shoes such as 
| we wear now : they went 
with bare feet or else wore 
sandals. Sandals were 
like the soles of our shoes, 
and were tied on with 
strings. They kept the 
feet from being hurt by sharp stones, but did not keep off the dust 
and dirt as shoes do. Therefore it was pleasant for a person after 
he had been walking on a warm day, to take off his sandals and 
wash his feet in cool water. And Abraham asked these three men 
to have water that they might wash their feet. He said he would 
bring them some bread also; and they told him to do as he said. 
And Abraham made haste into the tent to Sarah and told 
her to bake some cakes quickly. And he ran to the herd and 
brought a calf that was tender and good, and had it killed. 
Then he took butter and milk, and the calf that had been 
cooked, and set them before the men, and they did eat, and 




EASTERN SALUTATIONS 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 3I 

Abraham stood by them to wait on them, under the tree. After 
they had eaten, they rose up and went toward the city of Sodom, 
and Abraham walked with them. 




ABRAHAM WAITS ON THE ANGELS UNDER THE TREE 

And yet, although we call them men, these three persons were 
not men. Two of them, we believe, were angels, and the other 
one was the Lord. You may ask, Could it be the Lord who 
looked and talked like a man? Yes, for he could come down 
to this world in the form of a man. And further on in the Bible 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



we read, several times, of his conung, ^^^ 
while, and speaking tomem And£ng afte™ ^ ^ & ^ 

S T\r S LCple -U S dead people alive, and died on 
and made sick people > h n agam . 

the cross for our ^^^ send his angels to bnrn up 

And ^^l^'Jlo'rrah was another eity near to 
Sodom and Gomorrah. u because 

Sodom; the Lord was going to burn Wh 
the people who lived there wer e s o w icke d A ^ 

to tell Abraham what he would do or ad 
and obeyed him and taught **£»£££,*, _ tQ 
Abraham heard that Sodom, fl*cj ^ ^ bg 

burned up, he felt ^ed, the Lord and said that per- 

burned up also. And he spoKe i and 

haps there were some righteous persons hving^ ^ ^ 
he asked whether the nghteou s should be de y ^ 
wicked. The Lord answered that if there .ere * 

,-v, *v,p ritv he would not destroy u, ±^ . 

persons in the city, be* ta fifty; there might 

bfforl^^^ 

"^n ^^ - went 

fr0 m him, and Abraham came back to , bstot ^.^ 

And Lot was sitting at t 1 he / at 'f around them, to keep out 
F or in that country the cit.sh.dw llsar und th^ ^ 

robbers or any enemies who might come F ^^ 

And these walls had gates which were shut a^n g 
there was danger. Lot was si tting at he ate ot ^ 

angels came there, but they looked hke mem 1 y g ^ 

pose, the same that had been with the : Lorcu ^ 

When Lot saw them he rose up to meet to an ^ 

with his face toward the ground And he as*. ^ ^ 

into his house and stay there -H jM and £ 
in the morning, he said, they should go on the y ^ 

answered, No, we wdl stay m the , * eet al , ^ ^ 

begged them until they consented; so they cam 
food for them, and they did eat. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



33 



Afterward they asked whether he had any sons or daughters 
in the city beside those who were with him in the house ; if he 
had, the angels said, he should go and take them out of Sodom, 
for the Lord had sent them to destroy it. Then Lot went and 
found his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said 
to them, Up, get you out of this place, for the Lord will destroy 




LOT FLEES FROM SODOM 



the city. But they would not believe his words, and Lot went 
back to his own home without them. 

_ When it was morning the angels said to him, Arise, take thy 
wife, and thy two daughters, and make haste away, lest you be 
burned up with the wicked people of the city. And because Lot 
stayed a little while, perhaps to save something out of his house, 
the angels caught hold of his hand, and of his wife's hand, and 
of his two daughters' hands, and brought them out of Sodom. 



34 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

After they were brought out, they were commanded not to stay 
near, nor go slowly away, but to go very quickly, that they might 
not be burned. They were commanded not even to look behind 
them, but to make haste to the mountain "where the fire could not 

reach them. * . 

Now there was another city near Sodom, named Zoar; it was 
a little one. And Lot prayed that it might not be destroyed, 
because he would rather go there than up on the lonely moun- 
tain, where wild beasts or wicked men might kill him. There- 
fore' God did not destroy that city. And Lot and his daughters 
fled toward Zoar, but his wife looked back toward Sodom, which 
she had been commanded not to do, and she died there because 
she looked back; and she was turned into a pillar of salt. But 
Lot came to Zoar, he and his daughters; the sun was risen up 
when they entered into Zoar. 

Then the Lord rained down fire and brimstone out of heaven 
upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and destroyed those cities, and all 
the plain where they stood, and the people who lived in them, 
and the things which grew on the ground. Yet he saved Lot 
and his two daughters alive, though his wife died for her dis- 
obedience. But of all his riches £hat he took with him when he 
went from Abraham, we are not told that Lot had anything left. 
Early the next morning Abraham went out from his tent and 
looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and he saw the smoke 
going up from the place where they had stood, lilce the smoke of 
a great furnace, but those wicked cities were not there. Then 
Abraham knew that God did not find even ten righteous per- 
sons in Sodom, because he had promised that if he found them 
he would not destroy the city. 

And Abraham moved away to another part of the land of 
Canaan, named Gerar, where a people called the Philistines 
lived. And the king of Gerar gave Abraham a present of 
sheep and oxen, and also men-servants and maid-servants, to 
wait on him and work for him. And the king told Abraham 
he might live in any part of the land he chose. 

And God gave to Abraham and Sarah the son he had prom- 
ised them, and Abraham called his name Isaac, as God had 




ABRAHAM SENDS HAGAR AWAY 



35 



36 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



commanded . Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was 
born; and he and Sarah were glad, because God had given them 
a son. And the child grew, and when he came to be a larger 
boy, Abraham made him a feast. And Sarah saw Ishmael, Ha- 
gar's son, mocking Isaac. Therefore Sarah was displeased with 
Ishmael, and she asked Abraham to send him and his mother 




THE ANGEL SPEAKS TO HAGAR 



away. But Abraham did not wish to send them away, and it 
troubled him when Sarah asked him to do this. Then God 
spoke to Abraham and told him to do as Sarah had said bo 
he rose up early in the morning and took bread, and a bottle 
of water, and gave them to Hagar, Ishmael's mother 

The bottles of that country were what we would call sacks, or 
bags. They were made of goat-skins, folded over and sewed 
tightly together around the edges, except at the neck, which 
was left open for the water to pass through. And when Abraham 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 37 

had given Hagar some bread, and a bottle of water, putting this 
on her shoulder, he sent her and her son away. 

Then Hagar took her boy and went into the wilderness. And 
when all the water in the bottle was gone, and they had no more 
to drink, the child grew weak, and Hagar thought he would 
die. And she laid him under a bush, in the shade, and went 
a little way off and sat down and wept, for she did not want to 
see her boy die. And God heard her weeping; and the angel 
of God called to her out of heaven and said, What aileth thee, 
Hagar? Then the angel told her not to be afraid, but to lift 
up Ishmael from the place where she had laid him, and to hold 
him in her arms. And God showed her a well of water that 
was there in the wilderness, and she went to it and filled the 
bottle and gave her son drink, and he became strong and well 
again. After this God was kind to Ishmael, and he grew and 
lived in the wilderness and was an archer; he shot with a bow 
and arrow. And his mother took a wife for him out of the land 
of Egypt, where she used to live. 

Now the king of the Philistines, in whose land Abraham was 
staying, saw that God was kind to Abraham and was his friend. 
Therefore he came and asked Abraham to promise that he would 
never do him or his children any harm. And Abraham prom- 
ised that he would not ; yet he found fault with the king because 
some of his servants had taken away a well of water which Abra- 
ham's servants had digged. For the rivers and streams did not 
run through the fields in that country as they do in ours. Peo- 
ple had to dig in the ground to find water, and when they had 
found it, and made a well, that well belonged to them, and they 
valued it and did not like to have it taken from them. 

And now Abraham said that the king's servants had taken 
away his well. But the king answered that he did not know 
who had done it and that he had never heard of it before. Then 
Abraham took seven lambs from his flock and set them in a place 
by themselves. When the king saw them, he asked why they were 
there. Abraham replied that those seven lambs were for the king 
that he might take them and keep them for his own, to make 
him remember that it was Abraham who had digged that well. 



3 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

So the king and Abraham made an agreement, or covenant, 
together, to be friends with each other. And Abraham called 
the name of the place Beer-sheba, which means the well of the 
oath, or promise; because there he and the king had promised 
that they would do each other no harm. And Abraham planted 
a tree at Beer-sheba, perhaps to give a pleasant shade about the 
well. And there he worshipped the Lord. And he stayed in 
the land of the Philistines many days. 



CHAPTERS XXII-XXV (22-25) 

.tvoa^tatit to nvWR VV ISAAC. ABRAHAM MAKES READY 
G0 \l ZTlTi™0«Z£rJ™ ANOEL. SARAH DIES AND IS 
a™ ' aTaHAM'S SERVANT „ SENT TO EIND A WE EOR ESAAC 
ABRAHAM DIES. JACOB AND ESAU ARE BORN. ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTH 



RIGHT. 



We have read that Abel offered up a lamb to God and that 
God was pleased with him for offering it. Noah also offered 
burnt offerings after he came out of the ark, and Abraham 
Wmself had built three altars in the land of Canaan and offered 

sacrifices upon them all. AKrsham 

But one dav God spoke to Abraham, and said, Abraham. 
He answered, Here am I. Then God said, Take now thy son, 
toe only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee unto the 
and of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon 
one of the mountains which I will tell thee of Yes Maj*m 
was commanded to offer up Isaac upon an altar to kill him 
Ind ay Wm on the wood, and let him be burned up, as if he 
had W a lamb. How could Abraham d thls? How could 
he kill his own dear son ? Yet God told him to do it , Abraham 
h ard him speak. He knew that he should do whatever ^God 
said and he knew also that even if Isaac were killed and burned 
on the altar, so that nothing was left but his ashes G<x co 
take these ashes and make him alive again as he had been 

bef0 So' Abraham rose up early in the morning ^"^JJ 
ass and took two young men, who were his servants, with him. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



39 



and the wood, ready cut to lay on the altar, and Isaac his son; 
and he started to go to the mountain which God had told him 
of. And he journeyed* that day and the next, and did not come 
to the place; but on the day after, he looked up and saw it a 
good way off. Then he told the young men they need go no 
farther. He and Isaac, Abraham said, would go to the moun- 




ABRAHAM OFFERS UP ISAAC 



tain and worship and come back to them again ; for he did not 
wish them to see him offer up his son. And he left the ass with 
the young men, but took Isaac with him, and Isaac carried the 
wood. Abraham took some fire also to light the wood, and he 
carried a knife in his hand; and he and Isaac went on together. 
Now Isaac did not know what God had commanded his father 
to do, nor what his father was taking him to the mountain for. 
He knew they were going to offer up a burnt offering, for they 
had the wood to burn it with, and the knife to kill it; but he 



4 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

did not know that he was to be that burnt offering himself. So, 
as they walked together, he said to his father, My father, see the 
fire and the wood, but where is the lamb- for a burnt offering? 
Abraham answered, My son, God will find himself a lamb for a 

burnt offering. , 

And they came to the place which God had told him ot; 
there Abraham built an altar and laid the wood on it. And he 
bound Isaac and laid him on the wood; and Abraham put out 
his hand and took hold of the knife to kill his son. But just 
then the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven, and 
said Abraham, Abraham. He answered, Here am I. And the 
angel told him not to hurt Isaac, for now he knew that Abra- 
ham feared God, because he was willing to offer up his only 
son when God commanded him. And Abraham looked and 
saw behind him a ram caught fast in the bushes by its horns. 
God had sent it there for a burnt offering instead of Isaac; and 
Abraham took it and killed it, and offered it up on the altar 

And God was pleased with Abraham; and the angel of the 
Lord spoke to him again out of heaven, and told him that be- 
cause he had obeyed God, and been willing to offer up his son, 
God would bless him. And the angel promised him that his de- 
scendants should be like the grains of sand on the sea-shore, which 
no one can count, there are so many of them. The angel said to 
him, also, In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. 
This meant that the Saviour whom God had promised should be 
descended from Abraham. So Abraham brought Isaac and 
came to the young men who were waiting for him, and they 
went back together to Beer-sheba where Abraham lived. 

After these things Abraham left Beer-sheba and came to 
Hebron. And Sarah, Abraham's wife, was a hundred and 
twenty-seven years old, and she died there in the land of Canaan 
Then Abraham mourned and wept for her. And he spoke to the 
people of that country, and asked them for a place where he 
Sight bury Sarah. They answered that he might bury her in 
any of their sepulchres that he chose. ■■;.- _ 

Sepulchres are places in which dead persons are buried. In 
that country they were made by hollowing out a cave m the s.de 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



4i 



of a rock. After this was finished, a great stone was rolled 
against the door to shut it up. When any one died the stone 
was taken away and the dead person was laid in the cave. 
Then the stone was put back again and the cave shut up until 
some one else was to be buried there. It was very kind in the 
men of the country to tell Abraham he might bury his wife in 
any of their sepulchres. But this was not what he wanted; he 
wanted a sepulchre of his own. 

And there was a man in that land whose name was Ephron. 
He owned a field ; this field had trees in it, and at one end of it 
was a cave. Abraham thought he would like to have that cave 
for the sepulchre. So he asked the people to tell Ephron that he 
wanted it, and would give him money for it. When Ephron 
heard this he said 

that Abraham might T" -^— -- ^""jmOKg^'T^ 

have the cave for 
nothing, and not the 
cave only, he would 
give him the field 
also. 

But Abraham 
bowed himself down 
before Ephron and * 
the men who were 
with him, and an- 
swered that he 
would rather buy the 
field and pay for it; 
he did not want to 
take it for nothing. 
Then Ephron said he 
was willing to sell it ; 
and Abraham gave him four hundred shekels of silver for the 
field, and the trees that were in it, and the cave. Shekels were 
money; so Abraham paid for the field, and the trees, and the 
cave, and they were his own after that. And he made the cave 
his sepulchre, and there he buried Sarah. 




ABRAHAM BUYS THE CAVE OF EPHRON. 



42 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



And Abraham was old, and the Lord had blessed him in all 
things. And when Isaac was grown up to be a man, Abraham, 
his father, did not wish him to take a wife from the women who 
lived in the land of Canaan, for they worshipped idols. He 
wanted Isaac to have his wife from that country where Abra- 
ham used to live, and where he had relations still living who 

feared the Lord. 

Now that country was a long way from Canaan ; so Abraham 
called his oldest servant, who took care of his silver and gold, 
his flocks and his herds, and all that he had, and asked him to 
promise that he would go to that country and bring back from 
there a wife for Isaac. Then the servant said that, perhaps, the 
woman would not be willing to come. But Abraham told him 
that God would send an angel before him, to help him, and that 
he would be able to find there a wife for Isaac. Yet if the 
woman should not be willing to come, Abraham said, he would 
excuse the servant from his promise. And the servant promised 
to do as Abraham commanded. 

So he took ten of Abraham's camels and some beautiful pres- 
ents, and went on his journey to the land where Abraham had 
sent' him. And he came near to a city in that land and made 
his camels kneel down by a well of water that was just outside 
of the city. Camels are used in that country to ride upon, as 
horses are here ; they carry heavy loads also on their backs, and 
go a long way without resting. Before they start upon a journey 
they kneel down to have their loads put on them, and when they 
come to the end of it, they kneel down to have them taken off. 

It was evening, the time when the women of the city came out 
to draw water from the well. Then Abraham's servant prayed 
that God would help him, and make him know which of those 
young women that came to draw water should be Isaac's wife. 
But how would the servant know ? In this way. He was^ going 
to ask one of them to give him some water out of her pitcher. 
If she answered him kindly and said, Drink, and I will give thy 
camels drink also, then she was to be the one whom God had 
chosen for Isaac's wife. But if she answered unkindly and 
would give him no water, she was not to be the one. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



43 



So while he was praying, a beautiful young woman, named 
Rebekah, came out of the city, carrying her pitcher upon her 
shoulder, and she went down to the well and rilled it with water 
and came up again. And the servant ran to meet her and said, 
Let me drink a little water out of thy pitcher; she answered, 
Drink, and I will draw water for thy camels also. And she let 
down her pitcher from her shoulder and gave the man drink; 




ABRAHAM'S SERVANT MEETS REBEKAH 

afterward she ran to the well and drew water for the camels, 
and they drank too. Then the servant stood still, wondering 
whether she was the one whom God had chosen to be Isaac's 
wife or not. 

After the camels had done drinking, the man took an earring 
of gold and two bracelets of gold, and gave them to Rebekah. 
And he asked whose daughter she was, and whether there was 
room at her father's house for him and the men who were with 



44 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



him to sleep there. Then Rebekah told him that she was the 
daughter of Bethuel ; she said also that they had room at their 
house, and food and straw for the camels. When the servant 
heard' that she was Bethuel's daughter, he knew she was one of 
Abraham's relations, for Abraham was Bethuel's uncle. And 
he was glad, and bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord, 
and thanked him for helping him to find his master's relations 

who lived so far away. 

Then Rebekah left the servant and ran to her home and told 
her mother about all these things. And she had a brother 
whose name was Laban. When Laban heard what she said, 
and saw the earring and the bracelets, he ran out of the city to 
the man, and found him standing by his camels at the well. 
And Laban asked him to come to their house, and said he had 
made it ready for him, and that there was room for the camels. 
And the man went with Laban, and Laban helped him to un- 
load the camels, and gave him straw and food for them, and he 
gave the men water to wash their feet. Afterward there was 
food set before Abraham's servant that he might eat. But he 
said he would not eat until he had told them what he came to 

their country for. ■ 

Then he said that he was Abraham's servant, and that_ the 
Lord had blessed Abraham and made him great. He had given 
him silver and gold, and flocks, and herds and camels, and 
asses; and he had given him a son also. And all his riches, the 
servant said, Abraham had given to his son Isaac. And he told 
them that Abraham had sent him into their country to find a 
wife for Isaac. And he had come to the well that day, and 
prayed that God would make him know which was the young 
woman who should be Isaac's wife; he had prayed that she 
might answer him kindly when he should ask her for a little 
water to drink, and so he would know that she was the one. 
And while he was praying, he said, Rebekah came out, and 
when he asked her for drink, she answered him kindly, saying, 
Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also. 

Then the servant asked them whether they would let Rebekah 
go home with him to be Isaac's wife or not. They answered that 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



45 



it was the Lord who had done all these things, Rebekah might 
go. When the servant heard this he was glad, and bowed him- 
self down to the ground and worshipped the Lord. Afterward 
he brought out more beautiful presents, jewels of silver, and 
jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah. ' And 
he gave her mother and her brother presents also. Then he did 




REBEKAH SEES ISAAC IN THE FIELD 

eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and they 
stayed at Laban's house all night. 

When they rose up in the morning, Abraham's servant wanted 
to take Rebekah and go on his way back to the land of Canaan. 
But her mother and her brother did not wish to part with her 
so soon; they said, Let her stay with us a few days, at least ten, 
after that she shall go. But the man begged them not to keep 
him, because, he said, the Lord had helped him to do what his 



4 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

master sent him for; therefore he wanted to make haste home to 
his master again. They said, We will call Rebekah, and ask 
her And they called her and asked, Wilt thou go with this 
man? She answered, I will go. So they sent away Rebekah, 
and her nurse went with her, and they rode on the camels after 

Abraham's servant. 

And they came into the land of Canaan. It was toward even- 
ing about the time the sun goes down, when they came to the 
place where Isaac .was. And Isaac had gone out into the field 
to walk there, and think by himself alone. Perhaps he wondered 
whether the servant would soon be back, and whether the Lord 
had helped him to find the woman who should be his wife. And 
he looked up and saw the camels were coming. As they came 
nearer Rebekah saw Isaac, and she asked the servant what: man 
it was walking in the field to meet them. The servant told her 
it was Isaac Then she took a veil and covered her face with it, 
and came down from the camel; and Isaac fought her into the 
tent that used to be his mother's, for his mother was dead. And 
he took Rebekah and she was his wife, and he loved hen 

And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. And when he 
was a hundred and seventy-five years old he died, and was 
buried in the cave which he had bought from Ephron, where 

he had buried Sarah. . , 

After Abraham was dead, God was very kind to Isaac and 
blessed him. And he gave Isaac and Rebekah two sons whose 
names were Jacob and Esau; Esau was the elder, and Jacob 
wTthe ounier. Now in those days the eldest :*» ^memy 

family had what **£"££**. £ T *an any of 

rh ef one among all tne cnnaren, nc vvao & - 

Ae others And when his father died he got more of the sdver 
and goS and cattle that had been his father's ^n the others 
m- he °ot twice as much as any of them because he had the 
birt'hrighf And Esau was Isaac's eldest son, and therefore had 

thC Wfenlsau and Jacob grew up to be men, Es au *» punter; 
he went out into the fields and woods, and killed _deer and 
brought the meat home to his father, because his father loved 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



47 



to eat of it. But Jacob lived at home in a tent, and helped to take 
care of his father's flocks. And one day Jacob made food called 
pottage. And Esau came in from his hunting very weary and 
faint, and he asked Jacob to give him his pottage. Jacob told 
him he would do so if Esau would sell him his birthright. Then 
Esau, because he felt weak and sick, said that he was going to 
die, and that his birthright would do him no good, so he sold 
it to Jacob, and Jacob gave him the pottage for it It was 
wrong in Esau to sell his birthright; God had given it to him 
and he should not have sold it; and it was wrong for Jacob' 
in this way, to take it from him. 



CHAPTERS XXVI-XXXI (26-31) 

ISAAC GOES TO GERAR AND AFTERWARD TO BEER-SHEBA. JACOB TAKES 
AWAY ESAU'S BLESSING. HE FLEES FROM ESAU; H IS DREAM HE 
COMES TO LABAN'S HOUSE AND MARRIES LEAH AND RACHEL. HE STARTS 
ON HIS JOURNEY BACK TO CANAAN. LABAN FOLLOWS HIM. 

There was a famine in the land of Canaan, and Isaac moved 
away to Gerar. It was the same place his father Abraham 
had moved to, many years before, after Sodom was destroyed. 
And when Isaac came to Gerar, the Lord spoke to him and told 
him to sojourn or stay for a while, in that part of the land, and 
he Lord sa ld he would bless him. And Isaac sowed seed out 
n the field, and when the grain grew up, he reaped a hundred 
times as much as he had sowed, because the Lord made it grow 
well and bear a great deal for him. 

And the Lord made him very rich and great, and gave him 
flocks of sh ^ herds of cattle, and a great many "servants. 

But the people called Philistines, who lived in Gerar, were not 
pleased to see him so much richer than themselves; they envied 
h.m and wished they had his flocks and herds for their own. 
And the king of the country came to him and told him to so 
away from them. g 

So Isaac went away from that place and came to a valley and 
set up a tent there. And he found the wells that his father 



4 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Abraham had digged when he was in Gerar, but the Philistines 
had filled them with earth, so that he could get no water from 
them Then Isaac took the earth out of them ; and his servants 
dug a new well, but the herdsmen of that country came and 
said it belonged to them, and they quarrelled for it, and took 
it for their own. And so they did with another well that Isaac 
due Then he went to a different place and his servants dug 
a well there- the herdsmen did not take this one from him. 
Afterward Isaac moved to Beer-sheba, which was the place 
where his father Abraham had once lived, and where he had 
digged a well. And in the night the Lord spoke to Isaac and 
told him not to fear, for he would be with him to take care of 
him and bless him. And Isaac built an altar and worshipped 
the Lord, and set up his tent there. 

And the king of the Philistines came from Gerar, with two ot 
his friends, to visit Isaac. Isaac asked them why they came to 
him when they hated him, and had sent him away from their 
country They answered that they wanted him to promise he 
would 'do them no harm; for they saw, by all the good things 
the Lord did for him, that the Lord was his friend. And Isaac 
was kind to them. He made a feast for the king and the men 
who were with him, and they did eat and drink, and stayed ah 
night And Isaac promised he would do them no harm, and 
Zy promised to do him none. So Isaac and the king made a 
covenant together; then the king and his fnends went away to 

^ AnI IsaacTservants digged a well at Beer-sheba, and they 
came to him and said, We have found water. They were glad, 
for sometimes the water was very deep in the ground, and they 
had to dio- a long time before they found it. 

And Esau, Jacob's brother, when he was forty years old, took 
two of the women of Canaan for his wives. But his father and 
mother were much grieved because he did this; for, as we have 
been told, the women of Canaan worshipped ,dols 

Now Isaac was old and could not see, and he called Esau ^ and 
told him to take his bow, and go out into the field, and hunt a 
deer- and to cook the meat in the way that Isaac loved, and 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



49 



bring it to him that he might eat of it. Then, Isaac said, he 
would bless Esau before he died ; that is, he would ask God to 
be kind to him, and would tell Esau of the things he should 
have after his father was dead. For Isaac meant to bless Esau 
before he blessed Jacob, and to give him the best things, because 




JACOB TAKES ESAU'S BLESSING 

Esau was his oldest son and had the birthright. And Esau 
went out into the field to hunt the deer for his father. 

But Rebekah heard what Isaac said and she was not pleased, 
for she did not wish Esau to be blessed first, although he was 
the oldest son; she wished Jacob to be blessed first, because she 
loved him the best. So, after Esau had gone for the venison, 
she told Jacob to go to the flock and bring her two little kids: 
and when he brought them, she cooked them, making nice food 
of them that tasted like the venison which his father loved. 



5 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Then she put on Jacob some of Esau's clothes that were in the 
house, and told him to take the food to his father, and to say it 
was Esau who brought it. 

So Jacob came to his father with the food which his mother 
had cooked. And his father asked who it was. Jacob said 
it was Esau and that he had brought the venison which his 
father told him to bring. And Isaac could not see ; he put his . 
hands on him and felt the clothes and believed it was Esau, so 
he ate of the meat and blessed Jacob. It was wicked in Jacob 
to do this, and in his mother to help him; for although Esau 
had sold him his birthright, Jacob should not have deceived 

his father. 

As soon as Isaac had done blessing Jacob, Esau came in from 
his hunting, with the venison he had killed. And Isaac said, 
Who art thou? Esau answered, I am Esau, thy oldest son. 
And Isaac was surprised and afraid, and he trembled a great 
deal, and asked who it was that had been there before, and 
brought venison and taken Esau's blessing. Then Isaac knew 
it must have been Jacob, and he told Esau that his brother 
had been there before him and taken away his blessing. 

Then Esau was in great trouble. He cried with a loud voice 
and begged his father to bless him also. And Isaac did bless 
him, but he had promised the best things to Jacob, and now he 
could not take them from him. And Esau hated Jacob for what 
he had done, and said to himself, My father will soon die and 
then I will kill Jacob. For Esau was not a good man, he did 

not love God. . 

When a good man has been tempted, and done some wicked 
thing, after he has done it he repents of it and asks God to 
forgive him, and tries to do so no more. But when a bad man 
has 5 done wickedly, he does not repent and ask to be forgiven; 
he goes on and does as wickedly again. Though Jacob did 
evil at this time, he was afterward a good man; he loved and 
served God as long as he lived, and God forgave him his sin. 
But Esau was not willing to forgive Jacob; he said he would 
kill him after his father should die. When Rebekah heard 
this she sent for Jacob, and told him to leave his home and go 



COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY W. A. FOSTE9 




JACOB'S DREAM 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS « 

to that country where she used to live, to the house of her brother 
Laban, so that Esau might not find him. 

And Rebekah said that the women of Canaan gave her much 
trouble, for Esau had taken two of them as his wives; and she 
asked what good her life would be to her if Jacob also should 
take a wife from among them. Then Isaac called Jacob to him 
and blessed him again, and told him that he should not take 
for his wife a woman of Canaan, but he should take one of 
Laban's daughters to be his wife. And Isaac sent Jacob away, 
and he went out from his father to go to that country where 
Laban lived. 

As he journeyed he came to a place where he stopped to rest 
for the night, because the sun was set. And he took some of 
the stones that were on the ground for his pillow, and lay down 
to sleep. And he dreamed, and thought he saw a ladder set up 
on the earth; the top of it reached to heaven, and angels were 
going up and down on it. And the Lord stood above it, and 
spoke to Jacob, and told him that he would give the land of 
Canaan to him and to his descendants, and that his descendants 
should be a great multitude of people. And the Lord said he 
would be with Jacob to take care of him wherever he should 
go, and would bring him back to Canaan again. 

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep and was afraid, because 
the Lord had been there and spoken to him in his dream : and 
he rose up early in the morning and worshipped the Lord. He 
called the name of the place Bethel, which means, The house of 
God. And Jacob promised that if the Lord would take care of 
him, and give him bread to eat and clothes to wear, and keep 
him from harm, so that he should come back safely to his father's 
house again, then he would obey the Lord; and of all the silver 
and gold, the flocks and the herds, which God should give him, 
he would give a tenth part to the Lord. Jacob could not give 
these things into the Lord's hand, but he could help the poor 
and the sick with them, and build altars and offer burnt offer- 
ings with them, and that would be the same as giving them 
into the Lord's hand. 

And Jacob went on his journey until he came near to.Haran, 



S2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

where Laban lived. And he saw there a well in a field, with 
three flocks of sheep lying down by it, and the shepherds were 
with their flocks. A great stone was rolled over the mouth ot 
the well, to cover it; but when the flocks had come in from 
feeding the shepherds used to roll the stone away and draw up 
water for the sheep. After they were done drinking, the stone 
was rolled back again over the mouth of the well. 




JACOB MEETS RACHEL 



And Jacob asked the shepherds where their home was. They 
said at Haran. Then he said, Do you know Laban ? They an- 
swered, We know him. And Jacob asked if he was well. The} 
said, He is well; and look, Rachel his daughter is coming with 
the sheep While they were speaking, Rachel came with her 
ather's sheep for she took care of them. And Jacob went near 
and rollefaway the stone and watered the flock for her ; and 
he kissed Rachel, and told her he was her relation and Re- 
bekah's son, and she ran and told her father. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



53 



When Laban heard that his sister Rebekah's son was come, 
he made haste and ran out to meet him, and put his arms around 
him and kissed him, and brought him -to his house. And Laban 
spoke kindly to Jacob, and Jacob stayed at his house for a month. 
Then Laban asked Jacob how much he should pay him to stay 
and live there, and take care of his flock. And Laban had an- 
other daughter beside Rachel, whose name was Leah; but Ra- 




LABAN ENGAGES JACOB 



chel was more beautiful than Leah. Now Jacob loved Rachel, 
and he told Laban he would stay and serve him for seven years 
if, after they were ended, Rachel might be his wife. And La- 
ban said she might be; therefore Jacob served Laban seven years 
for her, and they seemed like only a few days to him, because 
of the love he felt for her. But when they were ended Laban 
would not give him Rachel, because she was the youngest. He 
gave him Leah, and said that Jacob must serve seven years 



54 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

more for Rachel; for the youngest, he said, must not be mar- 
ried before the oldest. So Jacob stayed and served Laban seven 
years longer, and he had both Leah and Rachel for his wives. 
And God gave sons to him. _ 

After this Jacob asked permission of Laban to take his wives 
and his children, and go back to the land of Canaan. For he 
wanted to see his father and mother if they were still alive; 
and he thought, perhaps, that after so long a time, Esau would 
forgive the unkindness he had done him when he took away 

his blcssinsf. 

But Laban was not willing to let Jacob go. He had found, 
he said, that the Lord blessed him because Jacob was with him, 
and he' asked what wages he should give Jacob to stay longer. 
Jacob said that if Laban would give him some of the cattle 
which he took care of, he would stay and feed his flock as he 
had done before. Therefore Laban gave Jacob some of his 
cattle and he stayed and took care of Laban's flock. Then 
Jacob had sheep and goats of his own. These he kept separate 
from Laban's, and put them in a different place It took 
three days to go from Laban's flock to the place where Jacob 
kept his flock. And Jacob's flock grew to be a great many, so 
that after a while he was rich, and had herds of cattle, and his 
sons took care of them. And Jacob had men-servants and 
maid-servants, and camels and asses. 

But one dav Tacob heard Laban's sons speaking unkindly of 
him. Thev said he had taken away their father s cattle, and 
that was the reason he had grown so rich. And Jacob saw ha 
Laban did not look on him as kindly as he used to do. His face 
was changed and he looked displeased. 

And the Lord spoke to Jacob and commanded him o go back 
to the land of his fathers; that meant, to the land of Canaan, 
where Abraham, his grandfather, had lived when he was alive 
and where Isaac, his father, was living still, And the Lord 
said he would be with Jacob, to take care of him and keep him 
from harm. Then Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to 
h m ,Se he was out in the field with his flock. He wanted to 
Sk with them there, so that Laban could not hear what he said. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



55 



When they came he told them that their father did not look 
kindly on him as he used to look, and that the Lord had com- 
manded him to go back to Canaan. And Rachel and Leah 
told him to do as the. Lord commanded. 

And Jacob made ready to go. He set his wives and his chil- 
dren upon camels, and took all his cattle and every thing that 
belonged to him, and started on his journey toward the land of 




JACOB RETURNING TO CANAAN 



Canaan. But Laban had gone away from his home to shear his 
sheep, and he did not know when Jacob left, because Jacob had 
kept it a secret from him. But on the third day after he had 
gone, some one told Laban of it. Then Laban took men with 
him and followed after Jacob. No doubt he was angry, and 
wanted to do him some harm; but in the night, in a dream, God 
spoke to Laban and told him not to harm Jacob nor speak un- 
kindly to him. And Laban did not overtake Jacob until he had 



5 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

been following him seven days; for Jacob had gone a long way, 
across a river and through a wide lonely country, to a mountain 
called Gilead. There Laban came up with him. 

Now Jacob had set up his tent at mount Gilead, and when 
Laban came there he set up his tent also. And he asked Jacob 
why he had gone away secretly, and carried Rachel and Leah 
and their children with him, without letting him know; for 
Laban said, he had not allowed him to kiss his sons and his 
daughters before they went. Jacob answered that he had gone _ 
away secretly because he was afraid Laban would take Rachel 
and Leah from him if he knew he was going. And Jacob was 
displeased at Laban for coming after him, and asked why he 
had followed him. Jacob said that he had served Laban for 
twenty years, taking care of his sheep and his goats. He had 
been out in the night and in the day, when it was cold and when 
it was hot, watching over them. And now, he said, if God had 
not been with him to help him, Laban would have sent him away 
without giving him anything for all the work he had done. 

Then Laban spoke kindly to Jacob, and said, Thy wives and 
thv children are the same to me as if they were my own, and I 
would not do them any harm. Let us, therefore, be friends and 
make a covenant together. And they piled up stones and made 
a heap of them in that place, and promised they would do each 
other no harm. That heap was always to stay there to remind 
them of the covenant they had made. If ever they should be 
angry and want to harm each other, then, as they were going to 
do it when they came to that heap and saw the stones there, 
Jhey would remember their covenant and turn back, and never 

harm each other any more. 

And Jacob built an altar and offered up a sacrifice on mount 
Gilead, and he and'Laban, and the men who were with him, ate 
bread together, and they stayed all night m the mount. Early 
h I the morning Laban rose up and kissed Rachel and Leah and 
their children and blessed them, and then went back to his own 
home. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 57 



CHAPTERS XXXII-XXXVI (32-36) 

JACOB SENDS MESSENGERS, AND A PRESENT, TO ESAU. HE WRESTLES AT 
PENIEL. THE MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU. JACOB COMES TO BETHEL 
AND AFTERWARD TO HIS FATHER IN CANAAN. BENJAMIN IS BORN. 
DEBORAH AND RACHEL AND ISAAC DIE. ESAU MOVES AWAY TO EDOM. 

Jacob left mount Gilead, and went toward Canaan. As he 
went some angels met him. Jacob called them God's host, 
or army. Perhaps God had sent them to take care of him on his 
journey. And he came near to the place where his brother Esau 
was, and sent messengers to tell him that he had been living with 
Laban until that time, and had oxen and asses and flocks, and 
men-servants and maid-servants. He sent to tell Esau about it, 
he said, so that Esau might not be angry with him. For Jacob 
was afraid of Esau. Though it had been twenty years since he 
deceived his father and took away Esau's blessing, yet Jacob re- 
membered his sin and it made him afraid. 

And the messengers returned to Jacob and told him that Esau 
was coming with four hundred men to meejt him. Then Jacob 
was in great fear; he took his flocks, and his herds, and his 
camels, and made two companies of them instead of one large 
company; and some of Jacob's men. went with one companv and 
some with the other. And Jacob told them that if Esau came 
to hurt or kill one company, the other must make haste and 
flee away. 

And Jacob prayed that God would save him from Esau ; for 
he was afraid that Esau would kill him, and his wives, and his 
children. Jacob said that the Lord had been very kind to him, 
and that he did not deserve the good things which God had 
given him; for when he left Canaan, twenty years before, he had 
only the staff which he carried in his hand. But now, when 
he was coming back, he had two companies, or bands, of men, 
with flocks and herds and camels. Then he was very poor, but 
now God had made him rich. 

Jacob stayed in that place all night. And he took some of 
his cattle and sent them as a present to Esau : two hundred and 



5 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

twenty goats, two hundred and twenty sheep, thirty camels with 
their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty asses with ten 
little ones. But he did not send all of these together; he made 
different droves, or flocks, of them, and sent each drove by itself. 
Then when Esau should meet the first drove, and ask the man 
who was driving it whose cattle they were! and where they were 
going, the man was to say, They are thy servant Jacob's; it is 
a present he has sent to my lord Esau. When Esau should 
meet the next drove, and ask the same questions, the man driving 
it was to answer as the first had done. And so they were all to 
answer, till Esau should have seen every drove. Jacob sent 
them to make Esau feel kindly toward him, so that he might 
not hurt him, or his wives, or his children, or take his flocks 
or his herds from him. 

And Jacob rose up in the night, and sent his two wives and 
his eleven sons over the stream of water that was there ; and he 
was left alone. And there came a man and wrestled with him, 
putting his arms around him and trying to throw him down, and 
Jacob put his arms around the man. So they wrestled together 
till the light of the morning shone a little in the sky. When the 
man saw that Jacob did not fall, but was strong, and wrestled 
on still, he touched Jacob's thigh; and just by his touch Jacob's 
thigh was put out of joint, and he was lame. 

And the man said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. But 
Jacob said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. The 
man asked, What is thy name? and he told him, Jacob. Then 
the man said, Thy name shall no more be called Jacob, but Is- 
rael ; which means, A Prince of God : and the reason he changed 
Jacob's name was that Jacob wrestled with him so long to get 
his blessing. For this man was the same as the one who had 
talked with Abraham, and told him he would destroy Sodom 
and Gomorrah : this man was the Lord. And Jacob said to him, 
Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. But the Lord answered, Why 
dost thou ask after my name? And the Lord blessed Jacob 
there. And Jacob said, I have seen God. And he named that 
place Pcniel; which means, The face of God. For Jacob said, 
I have seen God face to face. And as he crossed the stream 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 59 

the sun rose up, and he was lame in his thigh where the Lord 
had touched him. 

And Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and four hun- 
dred men with him. Then he took his eleven sons, and gave 
some of them to the two handmaids and the others to Rachel 
and Leah, that they might bring them to Esau when he should 




JACOB WRESTLES WITH THE ANGEL 



come near. But Jacob went on first by himself to meet his 
brother, and, as he went, be bowed down to the ground seven 
times before him. Then when Esau saw this he ran to meet 
Jacob, and put his arms around him, and leaned on his neck 
and kissed him; and they both wept. 

We have read that when God commanded Jacob to leave La- 
ban's house and go back to Canaan, he promised to be with him 
and keep him from harm. And we have seen how God kept his 
promise; for, first, he would not let Laban hurt, or even speak 



6o 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



unkindly to Jacob, and now he made Esau, that angry brother 
who had wanted to kill him, feel so kindly toward him that when 
they met, he ran to him and kissed him, and wept, leaning on 

When Esau saw the women and the children, he said, Who 
are these with thee ? Jacob answered, The children whom God 




THE MEETING OF JACOB AND ESAU 



hath given thy servant. Then the handmaids, and Leah, and 
Rachel came near, bringing the children with them and they 
bowed down before Esau. And Esau asked Jacob what he 
meant by all those cattle he had met. Jacob answered he had 
sent them as a present, so that Esau might be pleased with him 
And Esau said I have enough, my brother; keep what thou has 
to thyself; for Esau had flocks and herds of his own. But 
Jacob said, I pray thee take my present; and he begged him 
till Esau took it. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 61 

Then Esau wanted Jacob to go on his journey and wait no 
longer at that place. If he would do this, Esau said he would go 
with him. But Jacob told Esau that his children were young and 
weak, and might easily be made sick; and that his flocks and 
herds had to be driven very carefully, because if they were made 
to go too far or too fast, for only one day, many of them would 
die. And he begged Esau to go on first by himself, and Jacob 
said he would come after him more slowly, as the children and 
cattle were able to bear it. 

Then Esau offered to leave some of his men with Jacob; they 
could help him to drive his cattle, or defend him if robbers should 
attack him by the way; but Jacob said that he did not need 
them. So Esau left him and went away to his own home. 
After he had gone Jacob went on his journey till he came to 
a place called Succoth; there he stopped and "made booths for 
his cattle to rest in. Booths were sheds, or huts, made out of the 
branches of trees. When his cattle had rested Jacob left Suc- 
coth and came into the land of Canaan. 

And God spoke to him, and told him to go up to Bethel and 
build an altar there. Bethel was the place where Jacob had his 
dream, and saw the ladder reaching to heaven, with the angels 
going up and down on it. God had promised in that dream 
to be with him wherever h£ should go, and to bring him back to 
Canaan; and now God brought him back. Although it was 
more than twenty years since he went away, the Lord had taken 
care of him all that time, and at last brought him safely to his 
own land. And God told Jacob to go up to the place where the 
promise was given him, and there to build an altar to the Lord 
Then Jacob said to Rachel and Leah, and to his sons, Let us 
go up to Bethel, and I will build there an altar unto God And 
he told them how kind the Lord had been to him manv years 
before, when he was in trouble, and was fleeing from his brother 
Esau; and how the Lord had been with him ever since that 
time to take care of him in the way that he went. And Jacob 
and his wives, and his sons journeyed toward Bethel. There 
were cities in the land they passed through, but God made the 
people who lived in them afraid, so that they did not come out 



6 2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

to do Jacob any harm. And he came to Bethel, he and all who 
were with him, and there he built an altar and offered up a sac- 
rifice to the Lord. 

And Rebekah, Jacob's mother, had a nurse, named Deborah. 
Perhaps she was the same that Rebekah brought with her when 
she came into Canaan with Abraham's servant, to be Isaac's wife. 
And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and they buried her under 

an oak at Bethel. 

And God spoke to Jacob, and blessed him, and said again, 
Thy name shall not be called Jacob any more, but Israel shall 
be thy name. God told him also that he would give the land of 
Canaan to him, and to his descendants after he should die, and 
that his descendants should be so many there would be whole 
nations of them, and that some of them should be kings After 
he was done talking to Jacob, God went up toward heaven 
And Tacob set up a pillar of stone at Bethel, so that it might 
always be remembered as the place where God had spoken to him. 

And Jacob left Bethel, and came near to Bethlehem, and 
God save him another son, whose name was called Benjamin. 
But Rachel, the little boy's mother, died before they came to 
Bethlehem, and they buried her on the way there. And- Jacob 
set up a pillar upon Rachel's grave to show where she was 
buried, and that pillar stood there for hundreds of years. 

After these things Jacob came to Hebron, where his father 
lived; for Isaac, Jacob's father, was still alive. Though it had 
been so long a time since he was old and blind, and since he had 
sent Esau for the venison, that he might bless him, because he 
thought he was going to die, yet God had kept Isaac alive till 
Jacob came again. But after Jacob had come, and when Isaac 
was a hundred and eighty years old, he died and his sons Jacob 
and Esau buried him in the cave where Abraham and Sarah 

were buried. , 

And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and 
his cattle, and all that he had in the land of Canaan, and went 
awav to live in another country, called Edom. For he and 
Jacob had so many cattle that there was not food enough for 
them all in the land where they both had lived. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 63 

CHAPTERS XXXVII-XLI (37-41) 

JOSEPH IS HATED BY HIS BRETHREN. THEY SELL HIM TO THE ISHMAEL 
ITES, WHO CARRY HIM INTO EGYPT. POTIPHAR PUTS HIM IN PRISON 
HE INTERPRETS THE DREAMS OE THE CHIEF BUTLER AND BAKER AND 
OF KING PHARAOH; AND IS MADE RULER OVER EGYPT. 

Jacob had twelve sons: Benjamin, who was born near Beth- 
lehem after Jacob came back to Canaan, was the youngest of 
them all, and Joseph was next to the youngest. Joseph was 
seventeen years old, and one day he went out in the field with his 
brethren to feed his father's flock. And he came home to his 
father and told him of some wicked thing that his brethren 
had done. It was right in him to tell of it, so that his father 
might speak with his brethren about it, and command them to 
do so no more. 

Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other children be- 
cause God had given Joseph to him when he was an old man 
Yet it was not only for this he loved him the most, but also be- 
cause Joseph was more obedient and kind than his other children 
And the Bible says that Jacob made him a coat of many colors 
We cannot tell what kind of a coat this was, except that it was 
different from the coats his brethren wore and more beautiful 
than theirs. 

When his brethren saw how much their father loved Joseph 
they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him And 
Joseph dreamed a dream, and told it to his brethren, and thev 
hated him yet the more. He said to them, Hear, I pray you 

!u TZ /?* * haVC dreamed ' We were bin ding sheaves 
in the field (sheaves are large bundles of grain), and mv sheaf 

rose and stood up, and your sheaves stood round about and 
hey bowed down to my sheaf. Then his brethren were angry, 
because, if their sheaves bowed down to Joseph's sheaf, it seemed 
to mean that they were to bow down to Joseph. And they said 
to him, Shalt thou, indeed, rule over us? 

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his breth- 
ren, and said, I have dreamed a dream more. The sun and 
the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me. Now there 



64 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

were just eleven of Joseph's brethren, so they thought the eleven 
stars meant them, and the sun and moon meant their father and 
mother. And they were displeased at Joseph, because it seemed 
as if some day he would be greater than they. He told this 
dream to his father also, and his father found fault with him, 
and said, Shall I, and thy mother, and thy brethren come to 
bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock at Shechem; 
Shechem was a good way from Hebron, where Jacob lived. And 
Jacob said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock m 
Shechem? Come, and I will send thee to them. And Joseph 
was willing to go. Then his father said, Go see whether it is 
well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks, and bring me 
word again. So Jacob sent Joseph away from Hebron to 
Shechem, where his brethren fed the flock. 

And Joseph came to Shechem, but his brethren were not 
there As he was wandering in the field, a man found him, 
and said to him, What seekest thou ? Joseph said, I seek my 
brethren; tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks? 
The man answered, They are gone from here, for I heard them 
sav Let us go to Dothan. Dothan was still farther oft than 
Shechem: so Joseph went after his brethren and came toward 
Dothan And when thev saw him coming, even while he was 
vet a good way off, they began to talk with each other about 
killing him. They said to one another, See, this dreamer 
comes; now let us kill him, and throw him into some pit, and 
we will say some evil beast has devoured him, and we shall 
. see what will become of his dreams. 

When Reuben, one of his brethren, heard what they said, he 
wanted to save Joseph from them; so he persuaded them to put 
him into the pit without harming him: he said, Lower him into 
this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not hurt him Reu- 
ben thought that afterward he would come back, when the 
* others were gone, and take Joseph out and bring him home to 
his father. So thev concluded to do as Reuben said . And when 
Joseph came to them, they stripped off his coat of many colors 
that was on him, and took him and put him into the pit: there 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



65 



is often water at the bottom of deep pits in the ground, but this 
one was dry, there was no water in it. 

And they sat down to eat their food. But looking up thev 
saw some men, called Ishmaelites, coming that way with 'their 
camels: these men were merchantmen who carried things to 
sell, and they were going down into Egypt. When Judah an- 




JOSEPH SOLD BY HIS BRETHREN 



other of Joseph's brethren, saw them, he asked what good there 
would be in killing Joseph. Come, let us sell him to the Ish- 
maelites, he said ; and his brethren were willing to do it 

Then the Ishmaelites with their camels came by, and Joseph's 
brethren lifted Mm out of the pit, and sold him for twenty pieces 
of silver; and the Ishmaelites took him and carried him down 
mto Egypt. But Reuben, the one who had wanted to take him 
back to his father, was not there when his brethren sold him- 



66 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



afterward he went to the pit to find Joseph, and when he could 
not, he was greatly distressed : and he came and told his brethren, 
and said, Joseph is taken away; and I, where shall I go? 

And Joseph's brethren took his coat, and killed a kid and 
dipped the coat in its blood. Then they brought it to their 
father, and told him they had found it; he could tell, they said, 
whether it was Joseph's coat or not. And Jacob knew it, and 
said, It is my son's coat, an evil beast has devoured him. Joseph 
is, without doubt, torn in pieces. 

Then Jacob rent his clothes. The men of that country dressed 
in clothes different from ours. They wore a long coat, or sack, 

made of linen . It reached from the neck 
down below the knees, and was fastened 
around the waist with a belt or girdle. 
Over this coat they wore a loose gar- 
ment, like a shawl or blanket. When in 
great distress they sometimes took hold 
of the linen coat, and tore it from the 
neck down to the girdle. This was 
called rending the clothes. And Jacob 
rent his clothes, because he thought 
Joseph was torn in pieces. He put on 
sackcloth also. Sackcloth was a dark, 
coarse kind of cloth, which persons wore 
to show they were in trouble. Jacob 
was in great trouble for many days, and 
no one could persuade him to stop mourn- 
ing- for he said that he would mourn till 
he should go down into the grave to 
Joseph; he meant till he himself should 

die. , 

And the Ishmaelites brought Joseph 

down into Egypt. The king of that 
country was named Pharaoh, and he had an officer in his army 
whose name was Potiphar. Potiphar bought Joseph of the Ish- 
maelites, and Joseph was Potiphar's servant, and lived m his 
house. And the Lord helped Joseph in serving his master, so 




EASTERN GARMENTS 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 67 

that his master was pleased with him, and set him over his other 
servants. Joseph had the care of his house, and of every thing 
m it, for his master trusted Joseph with all that he had And 
the Lord blessed Potiphar, because Joseph was with him 

But after a while Potiphar's wife persuaded her husband that 
Joseph was a wicked man. Then Potiphar took him and put 
him in prison, where the king's prisoners were kept But the 
Lord was kind to Joseph, and made the keeper of the prison his 
friend, so that he set Joseph over the other prisoners as Potiphar 
had set him over his other servants. The keeper gave the care 
of all the men in the prison to him, neither did he watch over 
them any longer himself; he let Joseph do it for him. And the 
Lord helped Joseph to do all things well. 

1 • A u n Vu W ? ° f k ' ng Pharaoh ' s ser vants offended him; one was 
his chief baker, who attended to cooking his food, and the other 
was his chief butler, who carried his wine-cup to him when he 
wanted to drink. Pharaoh was displeased with them both and 
put them into the prison where Joseph was, and Joseph had the 
care of them there. And each of these men dreamed a dream 
the same night, and when Joseph came in to them in the morn- 
ing, he saw they looked sad. Then he asked them, Why look 
ye so sadly to-day ? They answered, We have dreamed a dream 
and there is no interpreter of it; that is, no one to explain what" 
t means; for an interpreter is a person who explains to us some- 
thing which we do not understand. And Joseph asked the men 

L^rdreamL 1 "^ * ^ ** he ** *» to ^ 

he thouttl ef bUtl6r - t0ld ^ dream t0 J° Se P h - He said that 

Wh t £ T V , " V ' ne : and ° n the V1 ' ne were three branches. 

While he was lookmg, there came out buds on the branches 

and very soon these buds changed into bunches of ripe grape ' 

And the butkr thought he was holding Pharaoh's wme-cup7n 
his hand, so he t k the ^ ^ pre « ed the Qut Qf upm 

into the cup, and gave the cup to Pharaoh that he might drink 
This was the chief butler's dream. 

wW^ *, Seph inter P reted h t0 hl 'm. for God showed Joseph 
what the dream meant. He said the three branches which the 



68 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

butler saw on the vine, meant three days; for within three days', 
Pharaoh would send and take him out of prison, and bring him 
to the king's house again. And there he should wait on the 
king and give the cup into his hand, as he used to do when he 
was butler before. Then Joseph asked .the chief butler to re- 
member him when he should come to the king's house, and to 
speak to Pharaoh about him, so that he might be brought out of 
the prison; because, Joseph said, he had been stolen away from 
the land of the Hebrews, that is, the land of Canaan; and since 
he had been in Egypt he had not done anything that they should 
put him in prison for. 

When the chief baker saw that the butler's dream meant some- 
thing good, he told Joseph his dream. He said that he thought 
he was carrying three baskets on his head, one above the other. 
In the highest basket were all kinds of cooked meats for Pha- 
raoh, and the birds flew down and ate the meats out of the 
basket. Then Joseph told him that this was the interpretation 
of his dream. The three baskets meant three days. Within 
three days, he said, shall Pharaoh hang thee on a tree, and 
the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. This meant that in 
three days Pharaoh would put the baker to death, and after- 
ward would let him hang where the birds could fly down and 

eat his flesh. 

And it came true as Joseph said. For after three days was 
the king's birthdav, when he made a feast to all his servants. 
And he sent and brought the chief butler back to his house 
again so that he gave the wine-cup into Pharaoh's hand, as he 
used to do when he was butler before. But he hanged the chief 
baker as Joseph had told him. Yet the chief butler, when he 
was taken back to the king's house, did not remember Joseph 
and speak to Pharaoh, about him; he forgot all the kindness 
that Joseph had shown to him while he was shut up in prison. 

After Joseph had been in prison two whole years, Pharaoh 
dreamed a dream. He thought he stood by the river that was 
in Egypt, and saw seven cows come up out of the water. They 
were fat and well looking, and they went into a meadow and ate 
the grass there. After them came up seven other cows, but these 




JOSEPH INTERPRETS THE DREAMS OF THE CHIEF BUTLER AND THE CHIEF BAKER 
. 69 



7 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

were thin and starved looking. And the thin and starved look- 
ing cows ate up those that were fat and well looking. And 
Pharaoh awoke. 

And he slept and dreamed again. He thought he saw seven 
ears of corn grow up on one stalk. They were all good and 
filled with grain. And after them came up seven bad ears, that 
were spoiled and had no good grain in them. And the seven 
bad ears did eat up the seven good ones. And Pharaoh awoke 
and found it was a dream. 

In the morning he was troubled, and sent and called for all 
the wise men of Egypt, and told them his dreams; but they 
could not interpret them. Then the chief butler spoke and said, 
that he remembered when Pharaoh was angry with him, and 
with the chief baker, and put them both into prison, they each 
of them had a dream in one night, and a young man who was 
in the prison interpreted their dreams, and what that young man 
told them came true. 

Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph; and they brought 
him quickly out of the prison, and he shaved himself, and put 
on other clothes, and came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to 
Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and none can interpret it, 
and I have heard of thee, that thou canst understand a dream 
to interpret it. Joseph answered, that it was not he, but God, 
who would tell Pharaoh the things he wanted to know. And 
Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams: the one in which he thought 
he stood by the bank of the river, and saw the seven bad cows 
eat up the seven good ones; and after they had eaten them, no 
person could have told they had eaten anything, for they were as 
thin and starved looking as before. And Pharaoh told Joseph 
his dream about the ears of corn also. 

Then Joseph said that the king's two dreams both meant the 
same thing, and that God had showed Pharaoh in these dreams 
what he was going to do. The seven good cows and the seven 
good ears of corn, he said, meant seven years; and the seven 
bad cows and the seven bad ears of corn, meant seven other years. 
For first there would come seven good years in Egypt, when the 
corn would grow well, and there would be plenty for the people 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



7i 



to eat. But after those seven good years would come seven bad 
years, when the people would want bread, because there would 
be a famine in all the land. 

Then Joseph told Pharaoh to look for some wise man, who 
could attend to saving up the corn for him in the seven good 



u 




JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAM 



years, so that, when the bad years should come, the people would 
have bread to eat and not starve. And the king was willing to 
do as Joseph told him ; and he said that as God had taught Jo- 
seph how to interpret his dreams, and showed him all these 
things which were to happen, Joseph was the wisest man and the 
best one to attend to saving up the corn for him. 



7 2 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



So Pharaoh would not let Joseph go back to the prison any 
more, but he made him a great man. He took off his ring from 
his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and dressed him in rich 
clothing and put a gold chain about his neck. He made him ride 
also in the chariot next to the king's chariot; and as he rode 




JOSEPH IS MADE RULER OVER EGYPT 



along the people cried, Bow the knee. And Pharaoh made him 
ruler over all the land of Egypt. 

And Pharaoh said that every man in Egypt should do as 
Joseph commanded him; and he gave Joseph a wife whose name 
was Asenath. Joseph was thirty years old when he interpreted 
Pharaoh's dreams. And he went out over all the land and at- 
tended to saving up the corn for Pharaoh. In the seven good 
years it grew well. When it was ripe and cut down, the people 
had much more than they could eat. 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 73 

Then Joseph took a part of it and had it carried into those 
cities which were near to the fields where it grew. And he put 
it away in houses called store-houses, that it might be kept safe 
until the seven years of famine should come. He saved up in 
this way very much corn, until he stopped counting how much, 
for there was more of it than any one could tell. And God gave 
Joseph two sons, one of whom he named Manasseh and the other 
Ephraim. 

And the seven good years were ended and the seven bad years 
began. The famine was not only in the land of Egypt, it was 
in other lands beside: but in Egypt there was bread, because 
Joseph had saved up the corn before the famine came. When 
the people had nothing to eat, they cried to Pharaoh for bread, 
and Pharaoh said, Go to Joseph, and what he says to you, do. 
And Joseph opened all the store-houses where the corn was 
kept, and he sold it to the Egyptians. And people came from 
other countries also to buy corn, because the famine was in the 
countries where thev lived. 



CHAPTERS XLII-XLV (42-45) 

Joseph's brethren come into egypt to buy corn, he pretends not 
to know them, and keeps simeon while he sends the others 
back to canaan for benjamin. they bring benjamin. he makes 
hlmsele known to them and sends for his father. 

Now Joseph's brethren were still living in the land of Ca- 
naan. It had been many years since they sold him to the 
Ishmaelites, and they did not know what had become of him, 
but they thought he was dead. And as the famine was in 
Canaan, they wanted bread for their father and their little chil- 
dren to eat. They looked at one another as if they did not know 
where they should get it, or what they should do. Then Jacob 
said to them, Why do ye look one upon another ? I have heard 
there is corn in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us, 
that we may live and not die. So Joseph's ten brethren left 
their home to go. But Benjamin, his youngest brother, stayed 
with his father in Canaan, for his father was afraid that some 



74 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

evil might happen him if he should go with them. And Joseph's 
brethren came down into Egypt, with many other persons to buy 
corn, for the famine was in all the countries around Egypt. 

Now Joseph was governor over Egypt; it was he who sold 
corn to the people. And his brethren came and bowed down 
before him with their faces to the earth. ' Joseph saw them and 
knew them, but pretended he did not. He asked them, saying, 
From whence do ye come? They answered, From the land of 
Canaan, to buy food. But though Joseph knew his brethren 
they did not know him, nor think at all that it was their brother 
whom they had sold to the Ishmaelites so many years before. 
Then Joseph spoke roughly to them, and said, Ye are spies (that 
is, enemies), who are come into the land to find out something 
which you ought not to know. But his brethren answered, No, 
my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all 
one man's sons. We are true men (that is, men who speak the 
truth); thy servants are no spies. 

Yet Joseph seemed not to believe them, and said again they 
were spies. But it was not because he was angry that he spoke 
roughly to them. He did so that they might not know him. 
He was soon going to be very kind to them, for Joseph was a 
good man and willing to forgive his brethren their unkindness 
to him. Then they told Joseph that they were all brothers, and 
that their father had twelve sons. One of them, they said, was 
with their father, in the land of Canaan— that was Benjamin;— 
and one, they said, " was not." They meant he was dead. The 
one who they told Joseph, was dead, was Joseph himself. 

Yet Joseph still pretended not to believe them, and said he 
would find out whether they spoke the truth or not, and this 
was the way he would do it. One of them should go home to 
Canaan to bring their youngest brother down to Egypt, but all 
the rest must stay till that one should come back; and he put 
them in prison three days. On the third day he spoke to them 
again; but this time he said that only one need stay. The rest 
might go home to take corn for their families to eat. Yet they 
must leave one, so that Joseph might be sure the others would 
come back and bring their youngest brother with them. When 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 75 

his brethren heard him say this, and saw that he was in earnest 
and meant to do as he said, they were in great trouble. They 
did not know it was Joseph who spoke with them and had put 
them in prison, yet they thought that God was punishing them 
for their sin in selling their brother to the Ishmaelites so long 
ago. And they talked with each other about it and said how 
wicked they had been. 

And Reuben (the one who had intended to take Joseph out 
of the pit and bring him back to his father) said to his breth- 
ren, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the 
child; but you would not listen to me? That was the reason, 
Reuben told them, why such trouble had come on them now. 
And Joseph heard them talking together, for they thought he 
could not understand what they said, because he had talked 
with them only in the Egyptian language, and when he did so, 
had an interpreter to explain what he said. Yet Joseph un- 
derstood every word they spoke, and he had to go away from 
them that they might not see him, for what they said made him 
weep. Afterward he came back and talked to them again. 
Still he pretended to think they were spies. Then he took 
Simeon, one of his brothers, and bound him, and all the rest 
saw him do it, for Simeon was to stay in Egypt while the others 
went home after Benjamin. 

Then Joseph commanded his servants to fill his brothers' 
sacks with corn, and to put the money that each one had paid 
back again into his sack; but he did not tell his brethren of 
this, and they did not know that their money was put back. So 
when their asses were loaded, all of them except Simeon started 
on their journey to their home in Canaan. And they came to 
the inn on the road, where travellers stopped to rest. Here as 
one of them opened his sack to give his ass some food out of it, 
he saw his money, for it was in the sack's mouth. And he said 
to his brethren, My money is given back to me; it is in my 
sack. Then they were afraid, for they did not know who had 
put it there. 

And they went on their journey, and came to Jacob their 
father in the land of Canaan, and told him of the things that 



76 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

had happened to them while they were gone. They said, The 
man who is the lord of the country spoke roughly to us and took 
us for spies. And we said, We are no spies, but are true men. 
We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the 
youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 
And the man, the lord of the country, said "to us, This is the way 
I shall know whether you are true men: leave one of your 
brethren with me, and take food for your families and go and 
bring your youngest brother unto me. Then I shall know that 
you are no spies, but true men; and I will give your brother up 
to you again, and you may buy corn in the land. 

And when they came to empty the corn out of their sacks, 
they found every man's bundle of money, that he had paid for 
the corn, put back into the sack. They and their father saw the 
bundles of money and were afraid. And Jacob was troubled, 
and said to his sons that they had taken away his children from 
him; for Joseph was gone and Simeon was gone, and now they 
wanted to take Benjamin away. Then Reuben, who had two 
sons of his own, spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons if 
I do not bring Benjamin back to thee; give him to me and I 
will bring him to thee again. But Jacob said that Benjamin 
should not go down into Egypt; for Joseph was dead, and if 
any harm happened to Benjamin, it would be a greater trouble 
than he could bear. 

Now the famine was very dreadful in the land of Canaan. 
And when they had eaten up the corn which they brought out 
of Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Go again, buy us a little food. 
And Judah told his father they would go down and buy food 
if he would let Benjamin go with them, but if he would not let 
Benjamin go, they would not go down; for the man, the lord of 
the country, had said to them, Ye shall not see my face except 
your brother be with you. Then Israel, that was Jacob, for now 
he had two names, asked his sons why they were so unkind to 
him as to tell the man they had another brother. But they an- 
swered, The man asked us, saying, Is your father yet alive? 
have you another brother ? Could we know that he would say, 
Bring your brother down? 




THE MONEY FOUND IN THE MOUTH OF THE SACKS 



77 



78 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And Judah told Israel, his father, to send Benjamin with him, 
and under his care; then, he said they would arise and go, that 
they might not starve, but have food for their father and them- 
selves and their little children. Judah said he would watch over 
him, and that no harm should happen to him. His father should 
trust Benjamin to him, and if he did not bring him back safely, 
then he would bear the blame forever. For if they had not stayed 
so long they would have been to Egypt and come back by that 
time. 

Then their father, Israel, told them that if it must be so, if 
they must take Benjamin, they had better take also a present to 
the man. Do this, he said, take some of the best fruits of the 
land, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little 
honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds: and take more 
money with you, and the money that was brought back in the 
mouths of your sacks, perhaps it was a mistake. Take also your 
brother, and arise and go again unto the man. And Israel 
prayed for his sons, that God would make the man kind to them; 
for, he said, if his children were taken away from him, he would 
be left lonelv and sorrowful indeed. 

So they took the present, and the money, and Benjamin, and 
went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph again. And when 
Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his steward who took 
care of his house, Bring these men home and make ready, for 
they shall eat dinner with me at noon. And the servant did as 
Joseph commanded ; but the men were afraid when they came 
to Joseph's house. They said to one another that it was because 
they had carried the money home in their sacks the first time 
they were brought there, and that now Joseph was going to 
blame them for it, so that he might make them his slaves and 
take away their asses from them. 

And they came near to Joseph's steward, and talked with him 
at the door of the house, and said, O, sir, indeed we came down 
the first time only to buy food. And they told him that as they 
were going home to Canaan, when they stopped at the inn, they 
opened their sacks and found the money they had paid for their 
corn put back into their sacks, Every man's money was in the 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 70 

mouth of his sack. And now, they said, they had brought that 
money .back with them, and other money beside to buy food. 
But they could not tell who had put their money into their sacks 
when they went home before. 

Then Joseph's steward told them not to fear. And he brought 
Simeon out to them, the one who had been left bound in Egypt 
while they went home to Canaan. And the steward gave them 
water to wash their feet, and he gave food to their asses. And 
they made ready the present which they had brought for Joseph, 
to give it to him when he should come home at noon, for they 
had heard they were to stay and eat dinner there. When Joseph 
came, they brought his present into the house, and bowed them- 
selves down before him to the earth. And he spoke kindly to 
them, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye 
spake? Is he yet alive? They answered, Thy servant, our 
father, is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down 
to him again. 

Then Joseph looked and saw his brother Benjamin, and said, 
Is this your younger brother of whom ye spoke unto me ? And 
he said, May God be good to thee, my son. Then Joseph made 
haste to find a place where he might go and weep, and he went 
into his chamber and wept there, because he was so full of joy at 
seeing his brother. But afterward he washed his face, and came 
out, and kept back the tears, so that his brethren could not tell 
he had been weeping. 

And he told his servants to set bread on the table, and thev 
set on bread for Joseph in one place, to eat by himself, and for 
his brethren in another place, to eat by themselves: for the 
Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews (that is, with the sons 
of Jacob), and Joseph wanted now to pretend that he was an 
Egyptian. And when his brethren came to take their seats, 
they found that the oldest one had the first seat, and the next 
oldest the next seat, and so they were all placed according to 
their ages. Then they wondered who could have known how to 
place their seats in that way. 

And Joseph sent food to his brethren from his own table, but 
to Benjamin he sent five times as much as to any of the others. 



80 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

He loved Benjamin more than the others because Joseph and 
Benjamin had the same mother. All of them had the same 
father, but they had different mothers; and Joseph and Ben- 
jamin were the only ones who had Rachel for their mother. 
Rachel, as we have read, died long before, and Jacob buried 
her on the way, as he went toward Bethlehem. And Joseph's 
brethren ate and drank with him in his house, but they did 
not know it was Joseph. 

And Joseph commanded the steward of his house to fill the 
men's sacks with food, as much as they could carry, and to put 
every man's money back in the mouth of his sack, as had been 
done when they came down into Egypt before. And put my 
cup, the silver cup, he said, in the sack of the youngest. And 
the steward did as Joseph commanded. In the morning, as 
soon as it was light, the men started on their journey back 
to Canaan. When they had gone out of the city, but were 
not far off, Joseph told his steward to follow after them, and 
ask why they had taken his silver cup. So the steward fol- 
lowed after them, and when he came up to them, asked as 
Joseph had told him, 

Then the men were very much surprised, and wondered why 
the steward spoke such words to them. God forbid, they said, 
that they should do such a thing as steal Joseph's cup. They 
had brought back the money which they found in their sacks, 
when they went home to Canaan the first time ; they could have 
kept it had they chosen to do so, but they brought it back of 
their own accord. And if they had done this, they asked, would 
they now take from Joseph's house silver or gold which did not 
belong to them? 

Then they told the steward that if any of them had taken the 
cup, he might put that one to death, and all the rest would be 
his servants. The steward answered, that the one who had 
taken the cup should be his servant, but the rest should not be 
blamed. Then each of them quickly took down his sack from 
the back of the ass, and rested it on the ground ; and every man 
opened his sack so that the steward could look into it. And he 
looked, beginning with the sack of the oldest, and leaving off 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 81 

with the sack of the youngest, and he found the cup in Benja- 
min's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and loaded their 
asses, and returned with him to the city. 

And they came to Joseph's house, for he was still there, and 
they fell down before him on the ground. And Joseph pre- 
tended to think they had really stolen his cup, and he asked if 
they did not know he would find it out. Then Judah spoke to 
him 5 and said, What shall we say to my lord? or what shall we 
do that we may not be punished ? God has found out our wick- 
edness; we are all my lord's servants. But Joseph answered 
that only the one who had the cup should be his servant; as 
for the rest they might go home to their father. 

Then Judah came near to Joseph and begged him not to be 
angry, but to let him speak. Judah said that when they came 
down to Egypt the first time Joseph asked them, saying, Have 
you a father and a brother at home in the country where you 
live? And they told him they had a father, an old man, and 
also a brother who was a little child yet; and that their father 
loved the boy, for his mother was dead and his brother was 
dead. And Joseph told them to bring that younger brother 
down to Egypt that he might see him. Then they had an- 
swered that the boy could not leave his father, for if he should 
do so his father would die. But Joseph told them that if they 
did not bring their brother down, they should never see his face 
again. So when they went home to their father, they told him 
what Joseph had said. And after a while their father wanted 
them to go down to Egypt again to buy a little more food. But 
they said to him, We cannot go unless our youngest brother be 
with us, for we may not see the man's face unless Benjamin be 
with us. Then their father told them that if they took Benja- 
min, and any harm should happen to him while they were gone, 
he would die with sorrow. 

So now, Judah said, that if he went home without Benjamin, 
when their father saw that Benjamin was not with them, he 
would die. For Judah had promised to bring him back safelv 
to his father, and had told his father that if he did not bring 
him back he would bear the blame forever. Then Judah begged 



82 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Joseph to let him stay and be his servant in Benjamin's place 
and to let Benjamin go home to his father. 

Then Joseph could hide himself from them no longer, and 
he commanded all his servants to go out of the room, so that 
no one was left there but Joseph and his brethren. And he 
wept out loud, and his brethren heard him and saw him weep- 
ing. And he said to them, I am Joseph; does my father yet 




JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN 

live? But they were afraid and could not answer him. And 
Joseph said to them, Come near to me, I pray you. And they 
came near; and he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye 
sold into Egypt. 

Then he told them not to be troubled, nor angry with them- 
selves, because they had sold him, for God had sent him into 
Egypt to save people alive, and to keep them from starving in 
the famine. Joseph did not mean to say that his brethren did 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 83 

right when they sold him, but that God had made good to come 
out of the evil which they had done ; Joseph told them this so 
that they might not be unhappy and afraid. For he loved them, 
and had forgiven their unkindness to him, and did not want them 
to be unhappy now when he was so glad to see them once more. 

And 'Joseph told them that the famine had been in Egypt two 
years, and would be there five years longer. In these years 
there would be no harvest nor planting of seed in the ground, 
for God had said the famine should last that long. And Joseph 
told his brethren that God had sent him into Egypt before them 
to save them from starving. And he said to them, Make haste 
and go back to my father in Canaan, and say to him, Thus 
saith thy son Joseph, God has made me ruler over all Egypt. 
Come down to me, and thou shalt live in the best part of the 
land, and shalt be near to me; thou and thy children, thy flocks 
and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And I will take care 
of thee, lest thou and thy family should come to be poor. 

And Joseph said to his brethren, Your eyes see and my 
brother Benjamin's eyes see that it is my mouth that speaketh 
unto you. You shall tell my father of all my greatness in 
Egypt, and of all that you have seen, and you shall make haste 
and bring down my father here. And Joseph leaned on his 
brother Benjamin's neck and wept, for he was more glad to see 
him than he could tell; and Benjamin wept on his neck. And 
Joseph kissed all his brethren and wept on them, and afterward 
they talked with him. 

When Pharaoh heard that Joseph's brethren had come, it 
pleased him well. And he told Joseph to tell them they should 
load their beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, and get 
their father, their wives, and their little children, and bring them 
to him. They should take wagons for their wives and their little 
ones to ride in, and they should bring their families and come; 
but they need bring nothing else, Pharaoh said, for it was the 
same as if all the good things in the land of Egypt belonged 
to them. 

And Joseph's brethren did so; and he gave them wagons, as 
Pharaoh had commanded, and food to eat while they were gone. 



84 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And to all of them he gave raiment; but to Benjamin he gave 
more than to any of the others, and also three hundred pieces of 
silver. To his father he sent twenty asses loaded with bread 
and meat, and good things from the land of Egypt. Then he 
sent his brethren to their own home, and told them to be careful 
lest they should quarrel with one another by the way. 

So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father in 
Canaan, and said to him, Joseph is yet alive, and is governor 
over all the land of Egypt. But it seemed too wonderful to be 
true, and Jacob did not believe them; yet when he heard all the 
kind words that Joseph had spoken, and saw the wagons which 
Pharaoh had sent to carry him, Jacob believed what his sons 
told him; and he said, It is enough. Joseph, my son, is yet 
alive; I will go and see him before I die. 



CHAPTERS XLVI-L (46-50) 

ISRAEL COMES DOWN INTO EGYPT. JOSEPH BRINGS HIM TO PHARAOH AND 
HE BLESSES PHARAOH. THE ISRAELITES LIVE IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN. 
JACOB DIES. HIS SONS CARRY HIM UP TO CANAAN AND BURY HIM THERE. 
JOSEPH DIES. 

And Israel left his home in Canaan and went on his journey 
to the land of Egypt. When he came to Beer-sheba, where 
Isaac his father had built an altar many years before, Israel 
stopped there and offered up sacrifices to God. And God spoke 
to him in the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. He answered, Here 
am I. God said, Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will 
there make of thee a great nation. A nation is a great many 
people who live together in the same country, and have one king, 
or ruler, over them. And God said he would make Jacob's de- 
scendants so many, while they were in Egypt, that they should 
be a great nation there. And he told Jacob he would go down 
with him to take care of him, and that when the time came for 
him to die, Joseph should be by his side. 

So Jacob left Beer-sheba; and his sons took him, and their 
wives and their children, in the wagons which Pharaoh had 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 85 

sent to carry them. They took their cattle, also, and all that 
belonged to them in Canaan, and came into Egypt — Jacob and 
all his children with him, his sons and their sons and daughters; 
they did not leave one behind. There were sixty-six of Jacob's 
descendants, that is, of his children and his children's children, 
who came with him. Joseph and his sons made three more- 
that was sixty-nine ; and Jacob himself made seventy, altogether, 
of the family of Israel that came into Egypt. 

And Jacob sent Judah, his son, to go on before him and teh 
Joseph that his father was coming. When Joseph heard it he 
made ready his chariot to go out and meet his father. And 
when he met him he came to him, and leaned on his neck, and 
wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said to Joseph, Now 
let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive. 
He was so glad to see Joseph, and to know he was still alive, 
that he felt as though there was nothing else he need stay for in 
this world; he felt willing to die. 

Then Joseph said to his brethren that he would go and tell 
Pharaoh they had come, and had brought their flocks and their 
herds with them. And he said that when Pharaoh should call 
them to him, and ask what kind of work they had been used to, 
they should tell him they had always taken care of cattle, and 
that their fathers had taken care of cattle also. Joseph told 
them to say this because it was the truth, and because he wanted 
Pharaoh to let them live in Goshen, which was the best part of 
the land of Egypt for feeding cattle. 

And Joseph came to Pharaoh, and said, My father and my 
brethren, and their flocks and herds, and all' that they have, 
are come out of the land of Canaan, and they are in the land of 
Goshen. And Joseph took five of his brethren and brought 
them to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh asked them what kind of work 
they were used to. Then they answered him as Joseph had told 
them. And they said that they had come to stay for a while in 
Egypt, because there was no food for their flocks in the land of 
Canaan, the famine was so dreadful there. And they begged 
Pharaoh to let them live in Goshen. And Pharaoh spoke to 
Joseph, and said that his father and his brethren might live in 



86 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

the best part of the land of Egypt, they might live in Goshen. 
And Pharaoh told Joseph that if any of his brethren were in- 
dustrious men he should make them rulers over his cattle; for 
Pharaoh had cattle of his own. 

After this Joseph brought Jacob, his father, to Pharaoh, and 
Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh asked him how old he was. 
He answered that he was a hundred and thirty years old. Jacob 
called these hundred and thirty years the years of his pilgrim- 
age. A pilgrim is a person going on a journey. Jacob was 
going on a journey all those hundred and thirty years. To 
what place was he going? To his home in heaven, for he loved 
and served God. So Joseph gave his father and his brethren a 
place where they should live, in the land of Goshen, as Pharaoh 
had commanded him. And Joseph was very kind to them, and 
gave them and their little children as much food as they needed. 

But the famine was very dreadful in Egypt and in Canaan, 
and the people had no bread to eat. And they came to Joseph 
to buy corn until they gave him all their money, and he gave it 
to Pharaoh. After they had given all their money, the Egyptians 
still came and asked for bread, for, they said, they had no more 
money. Then Joseph told them to bring their cattle ; and they 
did so, and for their cattle he gave them bread — enough to last 
through that year. 

When the year was ended they came to Joseph again, and 
told him their money was spent, and they had given him all their 
cattle; so they had nothing left but their lands and themselves. 
And they said they would give their lands to Pharaoh, and be 
his servants, if Joseph would let them have bread. Then Joseph 
gave them more bread, and so he bought all the land of Egypt 
for Pharaoh. Afterward he sent the people to the different cities 
to be fed there, for he had saved up the corn in the cities. 

But at last the seven years of famine were ended, and Joseph 
gave the people seed to plant in the ground, because he knew 
that now the corn would grow again. And he told the people 
that as they had sold all their land to Pharaoh, it was not their 
own any longer; yet Pharaoh was willing they should keep it 
if, when the corn grew, they would give a fifth part of it to him. 




JOSEPH MEETING HIS FATHER 



»7 



88 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

The people answered that Joseph was the one who had saved them 
from starving, and therefore they were willing to do as he said ; they 
were willing to give a fifth part of the corn to Pharaoh. 

So the famine was over in Egypt, but Joseph's brethren still 
lived in the land of Goshen ; and they and their children came to 
be a good many people. And Israel, their father, lived with 
them for seventeen years; then the time came near for him to 
die. And he called Joseph, and told him that he did not wish 
to be buried in Egypt, but in Canaan; and he made Joseph 
promise that he would carry his dead body up to that land 
and bury him there. 

After this some one came to Joseph and said, Thy father is 
sick. Then Joseph took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, 
and went to the house where his father was. When Israel heard 
that Joseph had come, he made ready to see him, and sat up on 
his bed. And Jacob talked with Joseph, and told him how God 
had spoken to him, and blessed him many years before, when he 
had his dream in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob told Joseph 
that Ephraim and Manasseh were like his own sons to him ; that 
is, Jacob took Joseph's sons to be his sons. And when Israel 
knew that the boys were there, he asked Joseph to bring, them 
to him that he might bless them. Now Israel was very old, and 
his eyes were dim; and when Joseph brought his sons near, 
Israel put his arms around them and kissed them. And he said 
that he used to think he would never see Joseph again, but now 
God had let him see not Joseph only, but his children also. 

And Joseph bowed down with his face to the earth before his 
father, and he took his two sons and brought them near to his 
father. And Israel stretched out his hands, and laid his right 
hand on Ephraim's head, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, 
to bless them. And Israel blessed both the sons of Joseph, and 
he blessed Joseph also. And he called all his other sons, and 
blessed each one of them, and told them he was going to die, 
but that God would be with them, and bring them back to the 
land of Canaan; and he commanded his sons to bury him in 
that land, in the cave that was in the field which Abraham 
had bought of Ephron the Hittite. There, said he, they buried 



THE BOOK OF GENESIS 



89 



Abraham, and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac, and 
Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. And after Jacob 
had done speaking with his sons, he lifted up his feet into the 
bed and died. 

Then Joseph put his face down to his father's face and wept 
over him and kissed him. And he commanded his servants, 




Jacob's burial 

the physicians, to embalm his father. To embalm a dead per- 
son was to put spices and such other things into his body as 
would keep it from decaying and going to dust; and Joseph's 
servants embalmed Israel. And the Egyptians mourned for 
him seventy days. 

And Joseph sent word to Pharaoh that his father, before he 
died, had made him promise not to bury him in Egypt, but in his 
own sepulchre in the land of Canaan. And he asked permission 



9 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of Pharaoh to go and bury him there; afterward, Joseph said, 
he would come back to Egypt. And Pharaoh told him to do 
as he had promised. Then Joseph went up to bury Israel, 
and with him went all Pharaoh's servants and many great men 
from the land of Egypt. Joseph's brethren went also; only 
their little children and their flocks and their herds stayed be- 
hind. And there went up chariots, and men riding on horses, 
and a great many people. So Israel's sons did as he had com- 
manded them, for they carried him into Canaan and buried him 
in the cave which Abraham had bought of Ephron the Hittite. 
Afterward Joseph came back into Egypt, he and all those who 
had gone up with him. 

When his brethren saw that their father was dead, they began 
to fear Joseph again, and said that now he would surely punish 
them for all the evil they had done to him. And they sent a 
messenger to tell him that his father left word, before he died, 
asking Joseph to forgive them. When Joseph heard their words 
he wept, for he knew they had sent that message because they 
were afraid of him. And they came and fell down before his 
face, saying, We are thy servants. But he told them not to 
be afraid, for though they had intended to do him harm-, God 
meant to do good by sending him into Egypt, that he might 
save many people from starving in the famine. And Joseph 
said to his brethren, I will take care of you and of your little 
ones. And he spoke kindly to them and comforted them. 

Joseph and his brethren stayed in Egypt, and Joseph lived 
till Ephraim's sons and Manasseh's sons were grown up and 
had children of their own. But after many years, he told 
his brethren that he was going to die; yet some day, he said, 
God would certainly come to the children of Israel (that is, to 
all of Jacob's descendants), and would bring them out of Egypt 
into that land which he had promised Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob to give them; he meant the land of Canaan. And he 
made the children of Israel promise that when God should bring 
them there, they would carry up his dead body with them. 

So Joseph died when he was a hundred and ten years old, and 
they embalmed him, and put him in a coffin in Egypt. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 91 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



CHAPTERS I-VII (1-7) 

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL GROW TO BE A GREAT MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE. 
A NEW KING IS CRUEL TO THEM. MOSES IS BORN J PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER 
TAKES HIM FOR HER SON. HE KILLS AN EGYPTIAN AND FLEES TO MEDIAN. 
GOD SPEAKS TO HIM FROM THE BURNING BUSH, AND SENDS HIM AND 
AARON TO BRING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT. AARON'S 
ROD IS CHANGED INTO A SERPENT, AND THE WATER INTO BLOOD. 

After Joseph died his brethren died also; but their de- 
scendants lived and grew to be a great multitude of people. 
And a new king ruled over Egypt. His name was Pharaoh, 
like the one who had been so kind to Joseph; but this Pharaoh 
had never known Joseph. And when he saw how many there 
were of the children of Israel, he was afraid of them. He 
thought that some day, when his enemies should come and make 
war against him, the children of Israel would help them, and 
afterward would rise up and go out of his land ; he did not want 
them to do this; he wanted them to stay and be his servants. 

So this wicked king persuaded the people of Egypt to treat 
the children of Israel very cruelly; they set taskmasters over 
them, and made their lives unhappy by forcing them to labor as 
slaves, in building houses and doing all kinds of work out in 
the field. But the more cruelly the Israelites were treated, the 
more there came to be of them, for, as we have read, God had 
promised Jacob, when he was coming down into Egypt, to make 
his descendants a great nation there; and now God was doing 
as he had promised. He was making them so many that they 
would be a great nation. 

And Pharaoh told the women who took care of the Israelites' 
little children, to kill all the boys as soon as they were born. 
The girls he was willing to let live, because they would never be 
able to fight against him. But the women feared God, and 
would not obey the king. They let the little boys live also, and 
God blessed them for doing it. Then Pharaoh gave all his people 
permission to take the little bovs that belonged to the children 



92 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



of Israel, and to throw them into the river, to drown them; but 
the little girls, he said, they should save alive. 

There was a man among the Israelites named Amram. His 
wife's name was Jochebed, and God gave them a son. The child 
was very beautiful, and his mother loved him ; but she feared 




ISRAELITES AT LABOR 



that some of Pharaoh's servants would come and take him from 
her, to kill him. Therefore she hid him for three months after 
he was born, but then found she could hide him no longer. So 
she took a little ark, or boat, made out of the long weeds that 
grew by the river, and daubed it over with pitch to keep out the 
water. And she put her baby into the ark and laid it carefully 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



93 



among the bushes at the edge of the river. But the little boy's 
sister waited, not far off, to see what might happen to him. 

And the daughter of king Pharaoh came down to bathe in 
the river, and she and her maids walked along by the river's 
side. When she saw the ark among the bushes, she sent one of 




PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER FINDS MOSES 

them to bring it. The maiden brought it, and as Pharaoh's 
daughter looked into it, the little boy wept; and she pitied him, 
and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then his sister, 
who had been watching, came near and spoke to the king's 
daughter, saying, May I not go and call one of the Hebrew 
women to nurse the child for thee? She said, Go. And his 
sister went and called her mother. When she came, Pharaoh's 
daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, 



94 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



and I will give thee thy wages. So his mother carried him back 
to her own home and nursed him there. 

But after a while Pharaoh's daughter sent for the child. Then 
his mother brought him to her. And Pharaoh's daughter took 
him into her house to be as her own son, and she called his name 
Moses, which means, "drawn out," because; she said, I drew him 
out of the water. Yet, when he was grown to be a man, he knew 




MOSES SLAYS THE EGYPTIAN 



that he was not the son of Pharaoh's daughter, but was one of 
the children of Israel; and although he might have been rich 
and great if he had stayed with her, he chose rather to go and 
live with his own people. 

And Moses went out one day to the place where the Israelites 
worked for" the Egyptians. There he saw a cruel Egyptian 
striking a Hebrew. Then Moses looked this way and that, 
and, when he saw no one near, he killed the Egyptian and hid 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



95 



his body in the sand ; for Moses believed that God had sent him 
to set the children of Israel free, and he supposed they would un- 
derstand this. And he went out another day, but this time he 
saw two of the children of Israel quarrelling together. And he 
spoke to the one who did wrong, and asked him why he struck 
the other. He answered, saying, Who made thee a ruler over 
us ? Wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday ? 
Then Moses was afraid, for he thought that other persons must 
know of what he had done. 

When Pharaoh was told of it, he tried to kill Moses; but 
Moses fled out of Egypt to the land of Midian, where Pharaoh 
could not find him. And he sat down by a well in that land, and 
some women came to draw water. There were seven of them who 
were sisters. They wanted to draw water for their father's flock, 
but some shepherds drove them away. Then Moses helped them 
and gave their flock water. When they went home to their 
father, whose name was Jethro, he asked them, How is it that 
you are come so soon to-day? They answered, An Egyptian 
saved us from the shepherds, and also drew water for the flock. 
Then Jethro asked where the man was, and why they had left 
him. And he told them to go and call him, that he might have 
something to eat. So they called Moses, and he went to Jethro's 
house, and he lived there many years, and he took one of Jethro's 
daughters for his wife. 

While Moses lived in the land of Midian, Pharaoh, the king 
of Egypt, died. But the people of Egypt were still very cruel 
to the children of Israel, and the children of Israel cried to the 
Lord because of their sufferings, and the Lord heard them and 
looked down from heaven and pitied them. 

Now Moses took care of Jethro's flock, and he led it out into 
the wilderness, to find pasture, till he came to a mountain called 
Horeb. On this mountain the Lord spoke to him. For there 
came up fire out of a bush that grew on the mountain; and 
when Moses looked, he saw that the bush was not burned, 
though the fire came up out of it. Then he said, I will turn 
and see this wonderful sight — why the bush is not burned. And 
when he turned, God called to him out of the bush, and said, 



9 6 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Moses, Moses. He answered, Here am I. And God told him 
not to come near, but to take his shoes from off his feet, because 
the place where he stood was holy ground. It was holy, and 
Moses was not to come near because God was there. God said 
to him, also, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, 

• the God of Isaac, 
and the God of 
Jacob. And Moses 
hid his face, for he 
was afraid to look 
upon God. Then 
God told him that 
he had seen the 
affliction of the chil- 
dren of Israel, and 
heard their cries, 
and had come down 
to set them free from 
the Egyptians 
Now the 
who ruled at this 
time in Egypt was 
named Pharaoh, like those who had lived before him, because 
the Egyptians called all their kings by this name. And the 
Lord told Moses he would send him to Pharaoh, that he might 
tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go ; and the Lord said 
that Moses should lead them out of Egypt, and bring them to 
that mountain where he was then talking with him. But Moses 
was afraid to go; he said, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh 
and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt ? God said to him, 
Certainly I will be with thee to help thee. 

And God commanded Moses to go and tell the children of 
Israel that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, 
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, had sent him to bring 
them out of Egypt to a good land, where they should have milk 
to drink and honey to eat. After Moses had told them this, he 
was to speak to Pharaoh and ask him to let them go. But 




king 



MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 97 

Moses answered the Lord, and said that when he should come 
into Egypt and tell the children of Israel these things, he was 
sure they would not listen to him, nor believe that the Lord had 
spoken to him at all. 

Now Moses held a rod in his hand, and the Lord said to him, 
What is that in thine hand? Moses answered, A rod. The 
Lord said, Cast it on the ground. And Moses cast it on the 
ground, and God made it change into a serpent, so that Moses 
was afraid of it and fled away before it. And the Lord said, 
Put out thy hand and take it by the tail. And Moses took it 
and it was changed back again into a rod in his hand. 

And the Lord said to Moses, Put now thy hand into thy 
bosom. Moses put his hand into his bosom, and when he took 
it out, it was white as snow; for it was covered with a dreadful 
disease called leprosy, which made it look white like snow. And 
God said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And Moses put 
it into his bosom, and when he took it out it was well and 
covered with leprosy no more. 

God gave Moses power to do these two wonderful works, or 
miracles, so that when the children of Israel should see them, 
they might believe that God had sent him. But if they would 
not believe after he had done them both, then, God said, Moses 
should take some water out of the river that w r as in Egypt and 
pour it on the dry ground; and the water should be changed 
into blood on the ground where Moses had poured it. Still, 
Moses did not want to go, and he began to make excuses for not 
going. He was not eloquent, he said, that is, could not speak 
well before the people. But the Lord commanded him again to 
go, and said he would teach him what to say. Yet Moses begged 
the Lord to send some one else. Then the Lord was angry, 
because he was still unwilling to go. 

And Moses had a brother named Aaron. God said that 
Aaron could speak well, and that he should go with him into 
Egypt ; Moses should tell Aaron what to say, but Aaron should 
tell it to the people. And God said he would teach them both 
what they should do; and he told Moses to take his rod in his 
hand, for with it he should do wonderful things. All this time, 

7 



98 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

while God was talking with Moses, Moses was on mount Horeb 
by the bush that burned with fire. He had gone there, as we 
have read, with Jethro's flock. When the Lord was done talk- 
ing with him, Moses went to Jethro's house again and asked 
permission to go back into Egypt, that he might see his brethren, 
the children of Israel, and Jethro gave him permission to go. 

And the Lord commanded Aaron, Moses' brother, to come 
out and meet him at mount Horeb; and Aaron came there and 
met Moses, and he was glad and kissed him. And Moses told 
Aaron of all the words that God had spoken. Then Moses and 
Aaron went into Egypt and spoke to the children of Israel. 
They could not speak to all of them at once, there were too many 
to hear; so they sent for the chief men among them, called 
elders, and told them, and the elders told the people. They 
showed them the miracles, also, that God had given Moses 
power to do. When the children of Israel saw these, they be- 
lieved that God had sent Moses and Aaron, and that he was 
coming, as he had promised, to take them out of Egypt. 

After they had spoken with the elders, Moses and Aaron went 
to Pharaoh, and said, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my 
people go that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 
But Pharaoh answered, Who is the Lord that I should obey 
him? I know not the Lord, neither will I let the children of 
Israel go. Then Moses and Aaron told him that it was God 
who had spoken to them, and they begged Pharaoh to let them 
go, lest, if they should not, God might punish them for their 
disobedience. But Pharaoh was angry when they said this to 
him. He asked why they kept the people from their work by 
telling them they were to go out of Egypt, and he told Moses 
and Aaron to go and work themselves. 

Now the children of Israel were digging clay out of the 
ground and making bricks with it, for that was the work which 
Pharaoh made them do. These bricks were not burned in the 
fire, as ours are, to harden them; they were only baked in the 
sun. But to make them tougher and stronger, the clay they 
were made of was mixed with pieces of straw. This straw was 
gathered out in the fields by men, who brought it to the children 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 99 

of Israel, for them to work it up. with the clay before they made 
the bricks. But Pharaoh was so angry with the children of Israel 
for wanting to go out of Egypt that he said they must go and 
gather the straw themselves; and yet that they must make as 
many bricks as they used to make when it was gathered for 
them. For they were idle, Pharaoh said, and that was the reason 
they cried, Let us go and serve the Lord. 

Then the taskmasters went and told the children of Israel 
that Pharaoh said, I will not give you straw. Go get straw 
where you can find it. So these poor men went out into the 
fields, after the grain had been reaped, and gathered up the straw 
that was left, and carried it away to make bricks with. But 
though they worked very hard, they could not make as many 
as they had made when the straw was brought to them, and 
some of them were beaten because they did not. Then they 
came to Pharaoh and told him that the fault was not theirs. 
Pharaoh answered, Ye are idle, ye are idle; that is the reason 
you say, Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. And he told them 
to go and work, for no straw should be given them. 

Then the children of Israel were in great distress, and some 
of them went to Moses and Aaron, and said that they had done 
them harm and not good, for they had made Pharaoh hate them, 
and treat them more cruelly than he treated them before. And 
Moses went and told the Lord, and asked why he had sent him 
to speak with Pharaoh; for, Moses said, since he had spoken 
to him, Pharaoh had done evil to the children of Israel, and yet 
the Lord had not set them free. The Lord answered that Moses 
should see what he would do to Pharaoh to make him let the 
children of Israel go. And he commanded Moses to tell them 
that he would bring them out of Egypt, and take them to be 
his people, and would lead them to the land which he had prom- 
ised their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. 

And Moses went and told the children of Israel what God 
said, but thev would not listen to him. Then the Lord sent 
Moses and Aaron to speak with Pharaoh again. Moses was 
eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three, when they went 
to speak with the king. And the Lord said that when Pharaoh 



ioo THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

should ask them to do a miracle for him to see, Aaron should 
take the rod and throw it on the ground, and it should be changed 
into a serpent. 

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and Aaron threw down 
his rod and it was changed into a serpent. And Pharaoh called 
for his servants, the magicians, or wise" men of Egypt. And 
they came with rods in their hands, and when they had thrown 
them down, their rods also were changed into serpents, because 
the Lord let the magicians do as Aaron had done. Then Aaron's 
rod swallowed up all the other rods, but Pharaoh would not let 
the children of Israel go. 

And the Lord told Moses to stand in the morning by the 
river's side, and when Pharaoh should come there, to speak with 
him and say, The God of the Hebrews (that is, of the children of 
Israel) has sent me to say to thee, Let my people go that they may 
offer up a sacrifice to me in the wilderness. And Moses did as 
the Lord said. He went to the river, and when Pharaoh came 
there, told him the words that the Lord had spoken. But Pha- 
raoh would not let the people go. Then the Lord commanded 
Aaron to take his rod and strike the waters with it, that thev 
might be changed into blood. And Aaron took the rod in his 
hand and struck the waters, and Pharaoh and his servants saw 
him do it. And all the water in the river was changed into 
blood, and the streams and ponds of water, all over the land of 
Egypt, were changed into blood. And the fish that were in the 
river died, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water. 

And Pharaoh's servants, the magicians, came, and they, too, 
turned water into blood, because the Lord let them do again as 
Aaron had done. And Pharaoh went home to his house, yet he 
would not let the people go. Then all the Egyptians digged in 
the ground about the river, to find water that they could drink. 
And the blood stayed in the river seven days. 




^ ta—— 




AARON'S ROD IS CHANGED INTO A SERPENT 



IOI 



io2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



CHAPTERS VIII-XII (8-12) 

MORE PLAGUES ARE SENT UPON PHARAOH AND THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT; 
AFTERWARD THEY LET THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL GO. THE ISRAELITES 
KEEP THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER. THE MEANING OF THIS FEAST. 

And the Lord commanded Moses to tell Pharaoh that if he 
would not let the people go, frogs should come over all the 
land. And Pharaoh would not let them go. Then God said 
that Aaron should hold out his rod over the waters of Egypt. 
And when Aaron held it out, the frogs came up out of the waters, 
so many of them that they covered the land. They went into 
the houses of the Egyptians, into their ovens, and into their 
kneading-troughs where they made their bread ; they went into 
Pharaoh's house, and up into his bed-chamber, and on his bed. 
And Pharaoh's servants, the magicians, also brought up frogs, 
for God allowed them once more to do as Aaron had done. 

But Pharaoh and the people of Egypt were in great trouble 
because of the frogs; and he called for Moses and Aaron, and 
asked them to pray to God that he would take the frogs away; 
then, Pharaoh said, he would let the people go to sacrifice in the 
wilderness. Moses said, When shall I pray for thee ? Pharaoh 
answered, To-morrow. And Moses and Aaron went out from 
the place where Pharaoh was. Afterward Moses prayed to the 
Lord, and the Lord did as he asked; the frogs that were in the 
houses, the villages, and the fields died, and the people gathered 
them in heaps, and the smell of their decaying bodies was all 
over the land. But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were 
dead, he would not let the children of Israel go. 

Then the Lord commanded Aaron to strike the dust on the 
ground with his rod. And when Aaron had done so, the dust 
was changed into very small insects, or creeping things, called 
lice, that crept on the people and on the cattle. And Pharaoh's 
servants, the magicians, tried to bring up lice, but they could 
not, because God would not let them do as Aaron had done any 
more. Then they told Pharaoh that it was God who did these 
things for Moses and Aaron ; but Pharaoh's heart was wicked and 
he would not listen to them, neither would he let the people go. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 103 

And the Lord told Moses to rise up early in the morning, and 
stand where he would see Pharaoh when he came out to the 
water. There, the Lord said, Moses should command him again 
to let the people go, and if he disobeyed, should tell him that 
the Lord would send swarms of flies over all Egypt. And Moses 
did as the Lord commanded, yet Pharaoh would not let the 
people go. Then the Lord sent swarms of flies, and they came 
over all the land. They crept on Pharaoh, and on his servants, 
and on the people; they went into their houses, so that the 
houses of the Egyptians were full of swarms of flies, and the 
ground was covered with them. But in the land of Goshen, 
where the children of Israel lived, there were none, for the Lord 
did not send them there. 

Then Pharaoh was troubled because of the flies as he had 
been because of the frogs. And he called Moses and Aaron to 
him, and told them they might offer sacrifices to their God, 
but they must not go into the wilderness to do it ; they must do 
it in Egypt. But Moses asked him whether the Egyptians would 
not be offended if the children of Israel should offer sacrifices in 
Egypt; for the Egyptians used to worship idols that were formed 
like oxen and calves, and if they had seen the children of Israel 
killing those animals and burning them on the altar, they might 
have been angry and tried to kill the people. Moses told Pha- 
raoh they would go three days' journey into the wilderness, where 
no one could harm them, and there they would offer sacrifices to 
the Lord, as he should command them. 

Then Pharaoh said he would let them go, only they must not 
go very far. And he asked Moses to pray for him, that the flies 
might be taken from the land. Moses said he would pray that 
they might be taken away on the morrow, but he told Pharaoh 
not to deceive them any more by refusing to let the people go. 
Then Moses went and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord took 
away the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, and from his servants, 
and from his people, so that there was not one left. When Pha- 
raoh saw that the flies were taken away, he made his heart wicked 
this time also, and would not let the people go. 

And the Lord commanded Moses to tell Pharaoh that if he 



104 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

would not let the children of Israel go, the Lord would 'send, on 
the morrow, a great sickness to destroy the cattle of Egypt, but 
that he would not send it among the cattle of the children of 
Israel, for none of them should die. And Moses told Pharaoh 
this, yet he would not let the people go. Then the Lord sent that 
sickness; and the cows, the horses, the asses, the camels, and the 
sheep died all over the land. But not one of the cattle of the 
children of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent to see if any of their 
cattle were dead; when he found they were not, his heart grew 
more wicked, and he would not let the people go. 

And the Lord told Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes 
from a furnace, where fire had been burning, and to sprinkle 
them up in the air so that Pharaoh could see them doing it. 
And those ashes, the Lord said, should go like dust over all the 
land, and cause sore boils to come on the men and on the ani- 
mals that were still left in Egypt. So Moses took ashes and 
stood before Pharaoh, and sprinkled them up in the air; after- 
ward boils broke out on men and on beasts over all the land. 
And the magicians could not come to try and do as Moses had 
done, for the boils were on them also. But Pharaoh's heart was 
still wicked, and he would not let the people go. 

And the Lord commanded Moses to rise up early in themorn- 
ing and stand before Pharaoh, and say that on the morrow he 
would send a great storm of hail, such as had never been in 
Egypt. And Moses was to tell Pharaoh to bring into his barns 
all his cattle from the fields, for every man and beast that should 
be out in the storm would be killed. And Moses did so. Then 
those Egyptians who feared the Lord made their servants and 
their cattle come quickly into the houses and barns, where the hail 
could not hurt them; but the others let them stay out in the field. 

And the Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand toward 
heaven, that the hail might come. And he stretched it out, 
holding up his rod ; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and 
there was fire, also, running along on the ground. So there was 
hail, and fire mixed with the hail, very dreadful, such as had 
never before been in the land. The hail came down on the 
fields, killing the men and the animals that were there, and it 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 105 

broke the bushes and every tree that was growing in the field. 
And all the grain that was grown up was broken and spoiled 
by the hail. But some of it was not yet grown up above the 
oround ; this was not spoiled. Yet in the land of Goshen, where 
the children of Israel lived, no hail came. 

Then Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said 
to them, I have sinned; the Lord is good, and I and my people 
are wicked. Pray to the Lord that he may take away the 
mighty thunder and hail, and I will let you go and you shall 
stay no longer. Moses answered that as soon as he should go out 
of the city he would pray to the Lord, and the thunder should 
cease and there should be no more hail. Yet, he said, he knew 
that Pharaoh and his servants would not obey the Lord. And 
Moses went out from Pharaoh into the terrible storm; but God 
kept the hail and fire from harming him. And when he had 
gone out of the city, he lifted up his hands and prayed to God, 
and the thunders ceased, and the hail came down no more. 
Then when Pharaoh saw that they had ceased, he made his 
heart still more hard and obstinate, both he and his servants, 
and they would not let the people go. 

And Moses and Aaron came to him again, saying that if he 
would not obey the Lord, on the morrow the locusts should come 
into his land. Now Pharaoh's servants were afraid to be pun- 
ished any more. They remembered when the river was turned 
into blood, so that they had no water to drink. They remembered, 
also, the frogs, and the lice, and the flies; the sickness of the cat- 
tle, the boils, and the hail, which had been sent into Egypt 
already. Therefore they begged Pharaoh to let the children of 
Israel go, that no more punishments might be sent upon them. 

Then Moses and Aaron were brought before Pharaoh, and he 
said to them, Go, serve the Lord your God; but who are they that 
shall go ? Moses answered that all the children of Israel would 
go — the young and the old, with their sons and their daughters, 
their flocks and their herds ; for they must hold a feast to the Lord. 
But Pharaoh said that only the men might go — the women and 
children must stay in Egypt. And Moses and Aaron were driven 
away from the place where they talked with Pharaoh. 



106 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And the Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand for the 
locusts to come. Then Moses took the rod and held it out; and 
the Lord made an east wind to blow on the land all that day 
and all that night, and in the morning the wind brought the 
locusts. They went up over all the land of Egypt, and covered 
the ground so that it could not be seen for them. They filled 
Pharaoh's house, and the houses of his servants, and the houses 
of all the Egyptians. They ate up the fruits which the hail 
had left, and every green thing, until there was not a leaf to be 
seen on the bushes or on the trees through all the land. 

Then Pharaoh made haste to call for Moses and Aaron, and 
said, I have sinned against the Lord and against you. And he 
asked Moses to forgive him only this once, and to pray that God 
would take away the locusts. And Moses went out and prayed 
to the Lord. And the Lord sent a very strong west wind, which 
blew away the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea, where 
they were drowned, so that there was not one locust left in all 
Egypt. But when Pharaoh saw that the locusts were taken 
away, he would not let the people go. 

And the Lord commanded Moses to hold up his hand toward 
heaven, that it might be dark in the land. And Moses held up 
his hand, and there came a great darkness over all Egypt, so 
that the Egyptians could not see one another, nor move from the 
places they were in, for three days. But in the houses of the 
children of Israel there was light. Then Pharaoh called for 
Moses, and said, Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and 
your herds stay. Let your little children go with you. But 
Moses told him their flocks and their herds must go also, that 
they might have sacrifices and burnt offerings, for they did not 
know how many of these they would need till they should come 
into the wilderness. The Lord would tell them there what ani- 
mals they must kill and offer up to him. But when Moses said 
this, Pharaoh would not let the people go; and he told Moses to 
leave him and come before him no more, for if he should see his 
face again Moses should surely be put to death. 

Then Moses told Pharaoh of one more punishment; he said 
that the Lord himself was coming into Egypt; he would come, 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 107 

Moses said, about the middle of the night, and would cause the 
oldest son in every house to die. Pharaoh's oldest son and the 
oldest son of all his servants should die on that dreadful night, 
and there would be a great cry of trouble and grief over all the 
land, such as had never been before and would never be again. 
But not even a dog should harm one of the children of Israel. 
None of their sons should die, so that Pharaoh might know that 
he and his people were the ones whom the Lord intended to pun- 
ish, and not the children of Israel. After this punishment, Moses 
said, the Egyptians would come and bow down to him, and beg 
him to take the people and go out of the land. And when Moses 
had told Pharaoh this, he went out from him in great anger. 

And the Lord commanded the Israelites, both the men and 
the women, to ask the Egyptians for their jewels of silver and 
their jewels of gold ; their necklaces and earrings, and whatever 
ornaments they wore; and when the children of Israel did so, 
the Lord made the Egyptians willing to give them a great many 
of these things. 

And the Lord told Moses and Aaron that every man among 
the children of Israel should take a lamb from the flock, and 
keep it four days. Afterward he was to kill it in the evening. 
And he was to take a bunch of a plant called hyssop, and to 
dip it in the blood of the lamb. Then he was to go to the 
door of his house, and strike the hyssop upon each side of the 
door, and over it, so that there would be three marks of blood 
outside of every house where the children of Israel lived. When 
the man had done this, he was to go into the house again, and no 
one was to come out of it until morning. 

And the lamb which had been killed was to be roasted with 
fire, and every person in the house was to eat of it that night. 
This is the way they were to eat of it : with their clothes girded 
around them, their shoes on their feet and their staves in their 
hands, all ready to go out of Egypt. They were to make haste 
while they ate of it; because the Lord would go through the 
land that night, and would cause the oldest sons of all the 
Egyptians to die, so that Pharaoh and his people should let the 
children of Israel go. But he promised that, when he saw the 



io8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

marks of the blood on the houses where the children of Israel 
lived, he would pass over those houses, and not harm any one in 
them. Therefore the supper of the lamb, which the children of 
Israel ate that night, was called the Lord's passover. And the 
Lord commanded them at this supper, and- for seven days after- 
ward, to eat only one kind of bread. It was called unleavened 
bread, because there was no leaven, or yeast, in it. 

And Moses called the elders of the children of Israel to him, 
and told them what the Lord had said, and the elders told the 
people. Then every man took his lamb, and kept it four days. 
Afterward he killed it in the evening, and dipped the bunch of 
hyssop in its blood, and struck the wood outside of his door, so 
that there were three marks of blood on every house where the 
children of Israel lived. And those who were in the house ate 
of the lamb that night; they ate of it with their clothes girded 
around them, with their shoes on their feet, and with their staves 
in their hands, all ready to go out of Egypt. 

And that same night, in the middle of the night, the Lord 
passed through the land. And wherever he saw the marks of 
the blood on a house, he passed over that house and did no harm 
to any one in it. But on the houses of the Egyptians there' were 
no marks of blood, and the Lord sent his destroying angel into 
every Egyptian's house, and caused the oldest son there to die. 
Pharaoh's son and the sons of his servants died. And the king 
rose up in the night, and all his people, and there was a great 
cry of distress through all the land, for there was not a house 
where there was not one dead. 

And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and told them to 
go out of Egypt and to take all the children of Israel with them. 
He said, Take your flocks and your herds, and be gone. And 
the Egyptians begged them to go, and to go quickly, for they 
were afraid that the Lord would cause them all to die. And the 
children of Israel went, carrying their clothes bound up with 
their kneading troughs on their shoulders. And the Egyptians 
gave them jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment also, 
so they went out with great riches. And many other persons 
who were not Israelites went with them. 




THE DESTROYING ANGEL PASSING THROUGH EGYPT 



109 



no THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

We have read in the book of Genesis where God told Abra- 
ham that his descendants should live in a strange land for many 
years, and that the people there would treat them cruelly. Yet 
God said he would punish the people who treated them so, and 
afterward would bring the children of Israel out of that land 
with great riches. It had been more than four hundred years 
since God spoke those words to Abraham, but now he made 

them come true. 

The lamb which the children of Israel killed at the supper of 
the passover was like the lamb which Abel offered up on the 
altar. We have read how Abel's lamb meant, or represented, 
the Saviour. So this passover lamb represented him. The 
passover lamb died for the people, and the Saviour was coming, 
after many years, to die for them. When the Lord came into 
Egypt in the night/ he did not punish those who had the marks 
of the lamb's blood on their houses. And when he shall come 
to the earth on the Judgment day he will not punish those who 
have the marks of the Saviour's blood on their hearts, that is, 
whose hearts have been cleansed from sin by his blood. 



CHAPTERS XIII-XXIV (13-24) 

GOD GOES BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN A PILLAR OF CLOUD. THEY 
PASS THROUGH THE RED SEA. THE EGYPTIANS, FOLLOWING THEM, 
ARE DROWNED. THE ISRAELITES MURMUR, AND MANNA AND QUAILS 
ARE SENT, AND WATER OUT OF THE ROCK. THEY FIGHT WITH THE 
AMALEKITES. GOD SPEAKS THE WORDS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

After Pharaoh had let the children of Israel go, the Lord 
led them toward Canaan. Yet not by the shortest way, which 
passed through the land of the Philistines, lest the Philistines 
should make war against them and they should be discouraged 
and go back into Egypt. The Lord showed them another 
way, toward the Red Sea. And Moses took the dead body 
of Joseph with him, because, as we have read, Joseph, before 
he died, made the children of Israel promise that they would 
carry him up when they should go back to Canaan. 

And the people journeyed to a place called Etham on the edge 
of the wilderness. There they set up their tents and made a 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS in 

camp. As they journeyed, the Lord went before them in a cloud 
to show them the way. The cloud was shaped like a pillar, 
reaching up toward heaven. They could see it all the time. In 
the day it was the color of a cloud, but at night it was the color 
of fire. It gave them light at night, so that they could journey 
both in the day and in the night when the Lord commanded. 
And the Lord did not take away the pillar of cloud in the day, 
or the pillar of fire in the night, from before the people. 

But after the children of Israel had left Egypt, Pharaoh and 
his servants were sorry they had let them go, and they said, Why 
have we let Israel go from serving us? Then Pharaoh made 
ready his chariot, and took with him all the chariots in which 
his soldiers rode out to battle, and went after them. And he 
came up to them while they were encamping by the sea. When 
Pharaoh came near, the children of Israel looked back and 
saw the Egyptians marching after them. Then they were greatly 
afraid and cried out to the Lord. They blamed Moses also for 
bringing them away from Egypt. It would have been better for 
them, they said, to stay and work for the Egyptians than to be 
slain there in the wilderness. But Moses told the people not to 
fear. He said to them, Wait, and see how the Lord will save 
you; for the Egyptians, whom ye have seen to-day, you shall 
see no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you need 
do nothing but be still. 

And Pharaoh and his army followed after the children of 
Israel until they had almost come up with them. Then the 
cloud which went before the children of Israel changed its 
place and came behind them. It came between Pharaoh's army 
and the children of Israel. That side of it which was turned 
toward Pharaoh's army grew very dark, so that the soldiers 
could not see to come anv nearer to the children of Israel all 
that night. But the other side of the cloud, which was turned 
toward the children of Israel, was bright like fire and gave 
them light in their camp. 

And the Lord said to Moses, Speak unto the children of 
Israel, that they go forward. And lift up thy rod and stretch 
out thy hand over the sea, and the children of Israel shall go 



112 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



on dry ground through the sea. Then Moses lifted up his rod 
and stretched out his hand over the sea. And the Lord sent 
a great wind all that night, which blew the water away from 
that part of the sea, so that the bottom of the sea was left dry. 
And the children of Israel went down into it, and walked on 
the bottom of the sea on dry ground. The waters were piled 
up high on each side of them like a wall; yet they did not 




THE EGYPTIANS ARE DROWNED IN THE RED SEA 

come down to drown them, all the while they were walking 
through the sea. 

And that is the way the children of Israel went out of Egypt. 
They walked through the Red Sea on dry ground till they all 
came safe to the other side. When Pharaoh saw they had gone, 
he and his chariots and his horsemen followed after them, for 
he thought that they would be able to pass through the sea 
as the children of Israel had done. But in the morning the 
Lord looked out of the pillar of fire and of the cloud on the 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 113 

Egyptians as they were marching through the sea. And he made 
the wheels of their chariots come off, so that they could drive 
but slowly, and he troubled the Egyptians. Then they were 
afraid and said to each other, Let us make haste back, for the 
Lord rights against us and he fights for the children of Israel. 
But before they had time to go the Lord told Moses to stretch 
out his hand over the sea once more. And Moses stretched out 
his hand; and the waters came together again and covered the 
Egyptians in the bottom of the sea. Then all Pharaoh's horses 
and his horsemen, and all his army were drowned. Not one of 
them was left alive. And the children of Israel saw them lying 
dead upon the seashore, where the waters washed them up.. 

But Moses and the Israelites were safe on the other side of 
the Red Sea. There they sang a song of praise to the Lord for 
saving them from Pharaoh. And Moses brought the people 
into the wilderness, and they journeyed for three days and 
found no water. And they came to a place called Marah. 
There they found water, but when they had tasted it they could 
not drink, for it was bitter. Then they complained against 
Moses, and said, What shall we drink? And Moses prayed 
to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree which he took 
and threw into the water, and the water was made sweet so 
that the people could drink of it. 

And they journeyed and came to Elim, where were twelve 
wells and seventy palm trees. And they journeyed again, and 
came to the desert of Sin. And the people, because they were 
hungry, spoke wickedly to Moses and Aaron. They said that 
while they were in Egypt they had plenty of bread and flesh to 
eat. They wished that God had made them die there, for Moses 
and Aaron had brought them out in the wilderness on purpose 
to kill them with hunger. And the Lord told Moses he had 
heard their complainings, and that in the evening they should 
have flesh to eat, and in the morning as much bread as they 
wanted. Then they would know that it was the Lord who 
took care of them. 

And the Lord did as he promised ; for in the evening, about 
the time the sun was going down, great numbers of quails came 

8 



H4 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 




EASTERN QUAIL 



flying up to the camp, so that the people could catch them. 
And in the morning, after the dew was dried, there was left, spread 
all over the ground, a small, white, round thing which looked 
like the frost. When the children of Israel saw it they did 

not know what it 
was. But Moses 
said to them, This 
is the food which 
the Lord has given 
you to eat. And the 
Lord commanded 
the people to go out 
and gather it, each 
man as much as 
he and his family 
would need for one 
day. But the Lord 
said they must not 
gather any to keep till the next day, for by that time there would 
be more on the ground for them ; and the Lord wanted them to 
trust him, each day, for their daily bread. Yet some of them 
disobeyed the Lord and kept part of what they gathered till the 
next morning, and by that time it was spoiled and had worms 

in it. 

After that the people went out every day and gathered the 
food which the Lord sent for them. When they had gathered 
enough, and the sun had grown hot, all that was left on the 
ground melted away. But on the day before the Sabbath the 
men gathered twice as much as they did on other days, and 
what they saved of this was not spoiled by the next morning. 
For the Lord sent none on the Sabbath, because he did not want 
the people to go out and gather it or to do any work on that 
day. Therefore he sent them enough for two days on the day 
before the Sabbath. Yet some of them went out to gather it 
on the Sabbath, but found none. And the Lord -was displeased 
because they went ; so after that they did not go out, but rested 
on the Sabbath day. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



ii5 



The people called this new food Manna: it was small, and 
round, and white, like the seed called coriander seed, and tasted 
like cakes made with honey. And Moses told Aaron to take a 




GATHERING THE MANNA 



pot and put into it as much as one man would eat in a day. 
And that pot of Manna, the Lord said, must always be kept, so 
that the Israelites who should live long afterward might see 
what kind of food the Lord had given the children of Israel, 



Tl6 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



when he led them through the wilderness to the land of Canaan. 
And the people ate manna until they came into that land. 

And they journeyed and came to a place called Rephidim, 
but found no water there. Then they found fault with Moses 




MOSES BRINGS WATER FROM THE ROCK 



and said to him, Give us water that we may drink. Moses asked 
why they found fault with him. They answered that he had 
brought them out of Egypt to kill them, and their little children, 
and their cattle with thirst. Then Moses cried to the Lord and 
said, What shall I do to these people? for they are almost ready 
to stone me. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



117 



Now by this time they had come near to the mountain called 
Horeb, where Moses saw the fire burning in the bush, and where 
the Lord told him he should bring the people. And when he 
asked what he should do, because they were almost ready to 
stone him, the Lord commanded him to take his rod in his hand 
and go on before the people, until he came to a rock that was 




AARON AND HUR HOLDING UP MOSES' HANDS 



in Horeb, and the Lord said that Moses should strike the rock 
with his rod and then water would come out of it. And Moses 
obeyed the Lord. He took the rod in his hand and struck the 
rock, and water flowed out of it, and the children of Israel 
drank of the water. 

And a people, called the Amalekites, came and fought against 
them. Now there was among the children of Israel a brave man 
named Joshua, and Moses said to him, Choose men, and go out 
to fight with the Amalekites; to-morrow I will stand on the top 
of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. And Joshua did 



n8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

as Moses told him. He chose men and went out and fought 
with the Amalekites, and Moses went up to the top of the hill, 
and Aaron, and a man named Hur, went with him. Then Moses 
held up the rod, and as long as he held it up the children of 
Israel overcame the Amalekites, but whenever he let it down 
the Amalekites overcame them. And Moses' hands were tired 
with holding up the rod so long, therefore Aaron and Hur took 
a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it. Then they 
held up his hands, one on the one side, and the other on the 
other side, till the going down of the sun, and God gave the 
children of Israel the victory. But God was displeased with 
the Amalekites for making war against them, and he said that 
the time should come when that people would all be destroyed, 
and no one would remember them. 

In the third month after the children of Israel went out of 
Egypt, they came near the mountain called Sinai, and encamped 
before it. And Moses went up on the mountain and the Lord 
spoke to him there. He told him to say to the people that they 
had seen how he punished the Egyptians for their sakes, and 
afterward brought them out of that land. And now, the Lord 
said, if they would obey his commandments he would love 
them more than any other people. 

And the Lord said he would come down in a thick cloud and 
speak with Moses on mount Sinai, so that the people should 
hear him ; and he commanded Moses to tell them to wash their 
clothes and make themselves clean, and to be very careful not to 
sin, but to be ready for the third day, when the Lord was com- 
ing down before them all on mount Sinai. On that day, God 
said, none of them might go up on the mountain, for whoever 
should go there would surely be put to death. But when they 
should hear the great sound of a trumpet far up on the moun- 
tain, they should' come and stand at the foot of the mountain. 

After the Lord had spoken these things, Moses went down and 
told the people, and they washed their clothes, and were careful 
not to sin. And on the third day, in the morning, there were 
thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on mount Sinai. 
And the trumpet, which, no doubt, an angel blew, sounded very 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 119 

loud, so that all the people trembled when they heard it. Then 
Moses led them out of the camp, and they came and stood near 
the foot of the mount. And all the mountain smoked, because 
the Lord came down in fire upon it, and the smoke went up 
like the smoke from a furnace, and the mountain shook greatly. 
And when the trumpet sounded long, and grew louder and 
louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him, and called him to 
the top" of the mount. 

And God spoke, on mount Sinai, the words of 

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 

I 

THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BUT ME 

This means that we must love God more than anything else ; 
for if we love anything more than Him, then that is our idol 
that we set up in His place, to serve instead of Him. 

II 

THOU SHALT NOT MAKE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE, NOR BOW DOWN TO IT, 

NOR WORSHIP IT 

There are a great many people in the world who believe that 
an image of gold, or silver, or wood, or stone can help to save 
them. But in this commandment God forbids every man to 
make such an image, or to bow down to it and worship it; for 
God is the only one who can save men, and they are to worship 

Him alone. 

Ill 

THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN 

This means that whenever we speak God's name, we must do 
it reverently, remembering how great and holy a name it is. For 
if we speak it carelessly or thoughtlessly we offend Him. 

IV . 

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY 

We keep the Sabbath holy when we do not take that day for 
work nor for week-day employments, but spend the time in 
worshipping God, in reading His word, in thinking and talking 
about His kindness to us, and in doing good to others. 



i2o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

V 

HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER 

Next to obeying God, we should obey our parents ; not putting 
off what they tell us to do, nor even waiting to be told, if we 
know their wishes already. But doing, out of love to them, such 
things as they approve; for this is God's commandment. 

VI 

THOU SHALT NOT KILL 

We break this commandment not only when we kill a person, 
but when we feel as if we would be glad for him to die ; because 
then we have the wish for his death in our hearts, and God looks 
at our hearts. 

VII 

THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY 

When a man leaves his wife to live with another woman in- 
stead of her ; and when a woman leaves her husband to live with 
another man instead of him, they commit adultery. God forbids 
us to commit this sin. He commands us, also, to be pure in all 
our thoughts, words, and actions. 

VIII 

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL 

We must not take anything for our own that belongs to 
another. If we have ever done so, whether by mistake or 
on purpose, God commands us to give back, or to pay for, the 
things we have taken. 

IX 

THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR 

This means that we must never say anything about another 
person which is not true. And when we are saying what is true, 
we must be very careful how we say it, lest we leave out a little 
or add a little, and so make it different from the real truth. 

X 

THOU SHALT NOT COVET ANY THING THAT IS THY NEIGHBOR'S 

To covet a thing is to wish that it was ours. We must not 
covet what belongs to another. God gives us all just what we 
ought to have, and he knows best whose everything should be. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 121 

And all the people heard the thunderings, and the sound of 
the trumpet, and they saw the lightnings and the mountain 
smoking. They heard God's voice, also, and were afraid. Then 
they said to Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear; but 
let not God speak with us, lest we die. But Moses told them 
that God had not come to cause them to die, but to make them 
fear to sin against him. And the people stood a good way off 
from the mountain, but Moses went up to the mountain near to 
the dark cloud where God was. 

There God talked with him, and gave him many more laws 
for the children of Israel to obey. Afterward Moses came 
down from the mount, and wrote those laws in a book, and read 
them out to the people. When the people heard them, they 
promised to obey all the words that the Lord. had spoken. 



CHAPTERS XXIV-XXXI (24-31) 

GOD CALLS MOSES UP ON MOUNT SINAI AGAIN, AND PROMISES TO GIVE HIM 
TWO TABLES OF STONE WITH THE TEN COMMANDMENTS WRITTEN ON 
THEM. HE COMMANDS THAT THE TABERNACLE SHALL BE BUILT, AND 
SAYS THAT AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL BE PRIESTS. 

And the Lord told Moses to come up on mount Sinai again. 
He said that he would give him tables of stone with the Ten 
Commandments written upon them. And Moses went up 
on the mount, and Joshua went with him; Joshua was his ser- 
vant or minister. And there came a cloud and covered the 
mountain for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to 
Moses out of the cloud, and Moses went up into the cloud and 
stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. And the 
children of Israel saw the glory of the Lord on the top of the 
mount, like a bright burning fire there. . 

And the Lord spoke to Moses and told him' that the children 
of Israel should build a tabernacle, or church, where they should 
worship him; and he showed Moses a pattern of this tabernacle 
like which they were to build it. It was to be very beautiful, 
and to have many beautiful things in it and around it, some, 
made of gold, some of silver, and some of brass. There were to 



122 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



be curtains of fine linen also, with rich work embroidered upon 
them. It would take a great deal of gold and silver, of brass, 
and of linen to make all these things; but God told Moses to 
ask the people for them, and whoever wanted to bring an offer- 
ing to the Lord might bring whatever he chose. 

God commanded Moses to have an ark made, which was to 
be placed inside of the tabernacle. This ark was a chest, or 
box, made first of wood and then covered over with gold ; both 
the inside and outside were covered with gold, so that the wood 
could not be seen. After it should be finished, Moses was 
to put into it the two tables of stone which God would give 

him. 

A cover, also, was to be made for the ark, of pure gold, with 
two golden cherubim, or angels, upon it; one at one end, and 
the other at the other end. These cherubim were to have their 
faces turned toward each other and their wings spread out. 
The cover, with the cherubim upon it, was to be called the 

Mercy-seat. 

And a table was to be made of wood, covered over with gold, 
to stand in the tabernacle; a golden candlestick, also, which 
should burn and give light there. 

And God told Moses how the tabernacle itself should be made. 
As the people were to carry it with them on their journey to the 
land of Canaan, it would have to be made in such a way that 
they could take it down and put it up again, something like a 
tent. The sides of it were to be of boards covered with gold; 
these boards were to stand on end and be fastened together. 
Over their tops curtains were to be spread, from one side to the 
other, for the roof. The door was to be a curtain hanging down 
in front; and there was to be another beautiful curtain, called 
the veil, hanging across the inside of the tabernacle, so as to 
make two rooms there. Moses was to bring the ark, with the 
mercy-seat upon it, into one of those rooms; in the other he 
was to set the golden table and the golden candlestick. 

And he was commanded to make a wall, or fence, around the 
tabernacle, a little way off from it, that there might be a yard 
around it. The yard was called the court. And an altar was 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



123 



to be made, which should stand in the court, before the door of 
the tabernacle. It was to be made of wood first, and then 
covered over with brass, and was to be very large; because 
oxen and sheep and goats were to be offered upon it. For 
until the Saviour should come into the world and be offered up 
on the cross, the children of Israel were to offer up these animals 
on the altar to show that he was coming. 

And the Lord told Moses that Aaron and his sons should be 
ministers, or priests, at the 

tabernacle. Aaron was to ,.^^^ i ^^.^^^^^^^. . 

be called the high priest, for 
he would be the chief one ; 
his four sons were to be 
called priests. 

Beautiful garments were 
to be made for Aaron; a 
linen cap, or turban, called 
a mitre, for his head, with a 
plate of gold fastened to its 
front, having these words 
written on it, HOLINESS 
TO THE LORD. This 
would remind Aaron that 
God commanded him to be 
holy. It would remind the 
people, also, whenever they 
saw it, to honor him as God's 
high priest. 

Next his flesh Aaron was 
to wear a coat made of embroidered linen, with sleeves to it; 
this coat was to reach to his feet. 

Over the linen coat he was to wear a coat, or robe, of blue, 
that had no sleeves. Around the lower edge of this robe were 
to be hung pomegranates made of blue, and purple, and scarlet. 
Pomegranates are a fruit something like an orange. Those on the 
robe were not real pomegranates, but ornaments made to look like 
them. Between the pomegranates were to be hung golden bells. 




Hk.H priest 



i2 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And over the robe of blue Aaron was to wear a third coat. 
It was to be shorter than the robe of blue, and, like it, was to 
have no sleeves, but was to be of different colors; it was called 

the ephod. 

On his breast Aaron was to wear the breastplate. This was 
a square piece of richly embroidered cloth, with twelve precious 
stones set upon it. These stones were of the most beautiful kinds, 
such as the ruby, the sapphire, and the diamond. Aaron's dress 
was to be very splendid ; and his four sons were to have dresses 
made for them also ; but their dresses were not so beautiful as 
Aaron's, because he was to be the high priest. 

And the Lord told Moses that after the tabernacle should be 
finished, he should bring Aaron and his sons to the door of it. 
There he was to wash them with water. And he was to put on 
them the garments which had been made for them, and to pour 
oil on Aaron's head and anoint him. Afterward he was to offer 
up sacrifices for them. These things Moses was to do, so that 
Aaron and his sons might be consecrated, or made priests, for 
the children of Israel. And after they had been made priests, 
they were to offer up two lambs every day on the great brass 
altar, one in the morning and the other in the evening, for the 

sins of the people. 

And God commanded Moses to make another altar, not of 
brass like that for the burnt offerings, but of wood covered over 
with gold. It was to be smaller than the brass altar, and was 
to stand inside of the tabernacle, in the room with the golden 
table and the golden candlestick. This altar was not to have ani- 
mals burned upon it, but incense. Incense was made of gum 
from a tree, mixed with some spices which the Lord told Moses 
of. When burned, it sent up a smoke that was sweet to smell. 

We have read that the animals which were burned on the 
brass altar meant, or represented, the Saviour. Now the incense, 
sending up its sweet smoke from the golden altar, is supposed to 
have meant the prayers of God's people going up to heaven. 
Aaron was commanded to burn incense on the golden altar every 
morning and evening, at the time he should come into the taber- 
nacle to trim and light the lamps on the golden candlestick. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 125 

And God commanded Moses to make a laver, or great basin, 
out of brass, to hold water. It was to stand in the court, out- 
side of the tabernacle and near the great brass altar. 

After the Lord had given Moses all these commandments 
about the tabernacle and the things that should go into it, he 
told him who should attend to making them. This was a man 
named Bezaleel, one of the children of Israel, whom the Lord 
said he had taught to work in silver and gold, in brass and 
precious stones, and to make all kinds of beautiful work. An- 
other man named Aholiab was to help him. Beside these there 
were others whom God taught, as many as were needed to make 
all the things which God had commanded should be made. 

And when the Lord was done talking with Moses, he gave 
him the two tables of stone with the ten commandments written 
upon them, which God had written there with his own hand. 



CHAPTERS XXXII-XL (32-40) 

THE PEOPLE WORSHIP THE GOLDEN CALF. MOSES BREAKS THE TWO TABLES 
OF STONE. THE LEVITES SLAY THREE THOUSAND MEN. GOD WRITES 
TLIE TEN COMMANDMENTS ON TWO NEW TABLES. THE TABERNACLE 
IS MADE AND SET UP. THE CLOUD RESTS UPON IT. 

Now all the time that God had been talking to Moses, and 
telling him of the things that were to be made, Moses was on 
mount Sinai; he stayed there, as we have read, forty days 
and forty nights. But the children of Israel were in their 
camp at the foot of the mount. And when they saw that 
Moses stayed so long they grew impatient, and came to Aaron, 
and said, As for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of 
Egypt, we know not what has become of him. And they asked 
Aaron to make idols for them, such as the heathen nations 
worshipped. Aaron said, Break off the golden earrings which 
are in the ears of your wives, and of your sons, and of your 
daughters, and bring them to me. So the people brought them, 
and Aaron took them and put them into the fire, and melted 
them, and made an idol in the shape of a calf. 

Then the people said that the calf was their god that had 



J 26 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



brought them up out of Egypt. And Aaron built an altar 
before it, and told them that the next day they should hold a 
feast. And early in the morning they rose up and offered 
burnt offerings to the calf, instead of to the Lord, and they 
had a feast and ate and drank before. the idol. While they 
were doing these things Moses was still on the mount. He 



-- - -t 




MOSES BREAKING THE TWO TABLES OF STONE 

could not see them, but the Lord saw them, and told him to 
go down, because his people had done wickedly. They have 
made a calf, the Lord said, and worshipped it and sacrificed 
to it, and called it their god. 

And Moses turned and went down mount Sinai, with the two 
tables of stone in his hand. Joshua, his servant, was with him, 
and as thev came near the camp he heard the noise of the 
people shouting, and Joshua said to Moses, There is a noise of 
war in the camp. Moses answered that it was not the noise of 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 127 

war, but the noise of singing he heard. When they came 
nearer Moses saw the golden calf and the people dancing before 
it. Then he was in great anger, and threw the two tables of 
stone out of his hands, and they were broken in pieces as they 
fell down below the mount. 

And Moses took the calf and burned it in the fire, and ground 
it up. into very small pieces, like powder or dust. Then he 
strewed the dust on the water that they drank, and made the 
children of Israel drink of the water. And he asked Aaron 
why he had helped them to do this great sin. Then Aaron 
tried to excuse himself, saying that the people were determined 
to do wickedly, and they asked him to make an idol for them, 
and brought him their gold, and when he put it into the fire, it 
came out in the shape of a calf. But it would not have come 
out so unless Aaron had given it that shape. And when the 
people asked him to make them an idol, he who was to be their 
high priest should have told them how wicked it would be, 
instead of helping them to do it. 

And Moses stood at the gate of the camp, and said that all 
the men who were on the Lord's side should come to him. Then 
all the men who were the descendants of Levi, one of Joseph's 
brethren, came to him. And he told them that God commanded 
each one of them to take his sword and go through the camp 
from one end of it to the other, and slay every man he should 
meet. In this way God would punish the people for their 
wickedness. And the Levites did as Moses told them, and they 
slew that day about three thousand men of the children of 
Israel. 

The next day Moses spoke to the people, and said, that al- 
though they had done a great sin, he would go and pray to the 
Lord for them, and perhaps their sin might be forgiven. And he 
went and prayed to the Lord, saying, O, this people have sinned 
a great sin, and made an idol of gold. And he begged that God 
would forgive them. But God said he would punish those who 
had sinned against him, and that he would not go with them in 
the cloud, as he had done before, to show them the way to 
Canaan. Then Moses prayed very earnestly that he would go, 



I2 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

and the Lord heard his prayer, and promised that he would still 
go with the children of Israel. 

And God told Moses to make two tables of stone like those 
he had broken. God said he would write on these new tables 
the same words that were written on the first tables. And he 
commanded Moses to be ready in the morning, and come up to 
the top of the mount. But no man was to come with him, or to 
be anywhere on the mount, and no flocks or herds were to feed 
there So Moses cut out of the rock two tables, like those he 
had broken, and he rose early in the morning and went up 
on mount Sinai, with the tables in his hand. And the Lord 
came down in the cloud and passed by before him, so that Moses 
could hear his voice. Then Moses made haste, and bowed down 
to the earth and worshipped. And he prayed that the Lord 
would forgive the children of Israel, and take them to be his 
people again. And the Lord heard his prayer, and took them 
to be his people again, and promised that he would do won- 
derful things for them, and would drive out the wicked 
nations of Canaan, to make room in that land for the chil- 
dren of Israel. 

And the Lord told Moses that he must be careful, when he 
should come into Canaan, not to make friends of those wicked 
nations. He must throw down the altars which they had built 
to their idols, and break those idols in pieces, because the chil- 
dren of Israel were not to worship idols, but the Lord. And 
Moses stayed on mount Sinai forty days and forty nights. In 
all that time, and in the forty days and forty nights that he 
spent there before, he did neither eat bread nor drink water. 
And the Lord wrote on the two tables of stone which Moses 
brought the words of the Ten Commandments. 

After the forty days and forty nights were ended, Moses came 
down with the tables in his hand. And the skin of his face was 
bright and shining, because he had been so near to the Lord, 
though Moses did not know that his face shone. When Aaron 
and all the children of Israel saw his face shine they were afraid 
to come near him, but he called them to him. Then they came, 
and he told them the words that the Lord had spoken. But 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



129 



while he was speaking with them he put a veil on his face that 
it might not dazzle them. 

And Moses called all the children of Israel together, and said 
that the Lord had commanded them to keep the Sabbath day 
holy; and now he also commanded them to bring gold and silver, 
and brass and wood, and whatever else was needed to build the 
tabernacle. Then the people brought whatever they chose to 




MOSES SPEAKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE 

give— bracelets and earrings, ornaments of gold and silver, brass 
and fine linen, and wood. Some brought precious stones also for 
the breastplate and oil for the lamp. Both men and women 
brought offerings for all the different kinds of work which the 
Lord had commanded Moses to have made. They did this 
willingly; and even after enough had been brought, they still 
kept on bringing more every morning, until Moses sent word 
through the camp that they should stop bringing. And he gave 
their offerings to Bezaleel, and Aholiab, and the other men whom 
the Lord had taught to do the work. 



I3 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Then these men made curtains of fine linen, of blue and 
purple and scarlet, for the tabernacle; and curtains of goats- 
hair and of goats' skins dyed red, to be spread over the tabernacle 
for its roof Also that beautiful curtain of blue and purple and 
scarlet called the veil, that was to be hung inside of the taber- 
nacle to make two rooms there; and the curtain that was to 
han- down in front for the door. They made the boards also, 
covered with gold, which were to be set up and fastened together 
for the sides of the tabernacle. 

And Bezaleel made the ark which God had commanded should 
be made, first out of wood, afterward he covered it, both on the in- 
side and the outside, with gold. And he made the cover of the ark 
called the Mercy-seat. There was no wood in this— it was all ot 




ARK 



GOLDEN CANDLESTICK TABLE OF SHEWBREAD 



pure gold And he made t wo cherubi m , or angels , of gold , to be one 
on the one end of it and the other on the other end. Their faces 
were turned toward each other and their wings were spread out 
And he made the table for the inside of the tabernacle of 
wood covered with gold. Around the edge of it was a golden 
border, like a little fence or railing. He made dishes and bowls 
and spoons also for the table, all of gold. And he made the 
oolden candlestick with six branches out of its sides, three out 
of one side and three out of the other. On these branches were 
shapes of almonds and flowers, worked in the gold. There were 
seven lamps belonging to the candlestick, to hold oil and burn. 
And he made the altar of incense, out of wood first, and covered 
the wood over with gold. 



THE BOOK OF EXODUS 



131 



And he made the oil which was to be poured on Aaron's head 
when he should be anointed as high priest, and the sweet incense 
that was to be burned on the golden altar. And Bezaleel made 
the altar of burnt offering, on which the children of Israel were 
to offer up sacrifices— oxen, lambs, and goats. First it was made 
of wood, and then covered over with brass. And he made the 
laver of brass, which was a great basin, or bowl, to hold water, 
for Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and their feet in; 
because God commanded them alwavs to wash their hands and 




ALTAR OF LICENSE 



ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING 



LAVER 



their feet before they went into the tabernacle, or came to the 
altar of burnt offering to offer up a sacrifice there. 

And Bezaleel made the posts or pillars of brass, which were 
to stand around the tabernacle to make a court, or yard, around 
it; and he made the curtains that were to hang between those 
pillars, for a wall, or fence ; also, the curtain that was to hang 
down in front of the court for its gate. 

And Bezaleel and Aholiab made the clothes for Aaron ; his 
linen coat, and the coat called the ephod, of blue, and purple, 
and scarlet. They took gold and beat it very thin, and cut it 
into little strips, and worked these strips in among the purple, 
the blue, and the scarlet, to make this coat more beautiful. And 
with it they made a belt, or girdle, of the same stuff as the 



132 



THE STORY . OF THE BIBLE 



ephod itself. This was to be fastened around Aaron's body over 
the ephod. And they made the breastplate with twelve precious 
stones upon it. Each stone was set in a piece of gold. 
Aaron was to wear this on his breast. It was to hang there 
by two chains-of gold coming down from his shoulders. 

And they made the robe, or coat, which Aaron was to wear 
underneath the ephod. It was all of blue, and around its lower 
edge were hung pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet; 
and between them the golden bells, which were to ring as Aaron 
went in and out of the tabernacle. And they made coats of fine 
linen for Aaron's sons, and linen trowsers also ; and the mitre 
for Aaron's head, with the plate of gold having these words 
written on it, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

So the different parts of the tabernacle were finished, and 
ready to be put together. And they brought them to Moses, 
and he looked at all the work, and saw it was done as God 

had commanded. 

And God spoke to him, and told him to set up the tabernacle. 
Then Moses set up the boards covered with gold, for its sides, 
and spread over them the curtains which had been made for its 
roof, and these curtains covered the tabernacle, and hung down 
on each side of it. And he put the two tables of stone with the 
ten commandments written on them into the ark, and covered 
the ark with the mercy-seat. Then he brought the ark, with 
the mercy-seat upon it, into the tabernacle, and hung up the 
curtain called the veil, so that it made two rooms there, and 
he left the ark in the innermost room. 

And he stood the golden table, and the golden candlestick, 
and the golden altar in the other room, and hung up the cur- 
tain which was made for a door in front of the tabernacle. 
Outside of the door, but not far from it, he stood the altar of 
burnt offering, and he offered up a sacrifice upon it. He set 
the laver near to the altar and put water in it, and Moses and 
Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet at the 
laver. And Moses set up the brass pillars around the taber- 
nacle, and hung up the curtains between them for a wall, and 
made the court around the tabernacle. And he hung up the 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 133 

curtain of blue and purple, and scarlet and fine linen, which 
had been made for the gate of the court. 

So the tabernacle was set up, and the court ; and everything 
was put in its place inside of the court, and of the tabernacle. 
Then the pillar of cloud, that went before the children of Israel 
to show them the way, came over the tabernacle and covered 
it. And the glory of the Lord filled the inside of the taber- 
nacle, so that Moses could not go into it. 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 



CHAPTERS I-XIX (1-19) 

GOD SPEAKS TO MOSES OUT OF THE TABERNACLE. AARON AND HIS SONS ARE 
CONSECRATED. THE BURNT OFFERING AND THE PEACE OFFERING. 
NADAB AND ABIHU ARE SLAIN. ANIMALS CLEAN AND UNCLEAN. LAWS 
FOR THE LEPROSY. THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. OTHER LAWS ARE 
GIVEN. 

After the tabernacle was finished God did not call Moses 
up on mount Sinai again to speak with him, but he called 
him into the tabernacle. For God came into the tabernacle in 
a cloud, over the mercy-seat, where the golden cherubim spread 
out their wings ; and he spoke with Moses there, and gave him 
many new laws for the children of Israel. 

And God told Moses to bring Aaron and his sons to the door 
of the tabernacle to consecrate them, or make them priests. 
Then Moses brought them, and he called all the people that they 
might come and see what the Lord had commanded him to do. 
And while they stood around the door of the tabernacle he took 
Aaron and his sons and washed them with water ; and he put on 
Aaron the beautiful garments that had been made for him. Then 
he poured oil upon his head and anointed him. He took Aaron's 
sons also and put their garments on them, and afterward offered 
up sacrifices to God. So Aaron and his sons were made priests, 
to stay at the tabernacle and burn incense and offer up sacrifices 
for the children of Israel. Before this time other men might 
offer up their own sacrifices, as Abel, Noah, and Abraham had 



I34 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

done But now that God had chosen Aaron and his sons to be 
priests no one else might offer up a sacrifice; every man must 
bring his offering to the tabernacle, and let the priests burn it 
for him on the altar that was there. 

After \aron was made high priest, he .took a lamb and killed 
it and laid it on the altar as an offering for the sins of all the 
people, but he put no fire under it. Then the Lord sent fire 
that burned up the lamb. When the people saw the fire they 
shouted for joy, for now they knew that the Lord was pleased 
with their priest and with their offering. Afterward the priests 
alwavs kept that fire burning on the altar, and would not let it 
* out, because the Lord had sent it there for them. 

The priests were commanded to offer up two lambs every day, 
one in the morning and the other in the evening, for the sins of 
all the children of Israel. But God told Moses that if any man 
who was sorrv for his sins wanted to bring an offering for him- 
self alone, he might bring an ox, or a sheep, or a goat to the 
door of the tabernacle. There he was to lay his hand upon its 
head This was as if the man put his sins away from himself 
on to the animal. Then he was to kill the animal ; and Aaron's 
sons the priests, would burn it for him on the altar, and God 
would be pleased with it for an offering. God would be pleased 
with the man's offering and forgive his sins, not because the 
innocent animal had died for him, but because the Saviour was 
coming to bear his sins and die for him, like the animal. The 
animal (like Abel's lamb and the passover lamb) was meant to 
represent the Saviour, and to show that he was coming. This was 
the only reason whv God was pleased with animals for offerings. 
There were different kinds of offerings. When a man brought 
one because he repented of his sins, and wanted to be forgiven, 
the priests took it and burned the whole of it on the altar. 
Therefore it was called a burnt offering. But when he brought 
one because he was thankful for some blessing which God had 
given him, or because he wanted some blessing which he was 
praying that God would send him, then the priest took the 
animal and burned only a part of it on the altar, not all ; some of 
it the priests kept for themselves to eat, and some of it they gave 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 



135 



back to the man for him to eat. This offering, that was part 
burned and part eaten, was called a peace offering. 

And the man who brought the peace offering, after the priest 
had given him back his part, invited his family and his friends, 
and perhaps his poor neighbors, and they feasted on it. For 
the man was not allowed to put his part by and keep it to eat 
at some future time ; it must be eaten that same day or the next 




HIGH PRIEST BURNING INCENSE 



day. We often read in the Bible of the feasts which the people 
made with their peace offerings. 

Aaron had four sons, who were all made priests when he was 
made high priest. It was their duty to attend to the worship 
of God at the tabernacle in the way that God commanded. We 
have read that God commanded incense to be burned on the 
golden altar. This incense was placed in a censer, which was 
something like a cup, made, we suppose, of brass. The priest 
first put coals of fire in the censer; afterward he carried it into 



i 3 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

the tabernacle and set it on the golden altar, and he sprinkled 
the incense on the coals, that it might burn and send up its sweet 
smoke there. The fire which he put in the censer was taken 
from off the altar of burnt offering, where God had sent it, and 
where, as we have read, it was never allowed to go out; for it 

was sacred fire. 

But the Bible tells us that two of Aaron's sons, named Madab 
and Abihu, put strange fire in their censers to burn incense. 
And God was angrv at their sin and sent fire that burned them 
to death. And Moses called men to carry their dead bodies 
away from the tabernacle and out of the camp. And God com- 
manded Aaron and his two sons who were still living not to 
rend their clothes, nor show any grief for Nadab and Abihu, 
because they had been put to death for sinning against God. 

And the Lord told Moses what animals, and birds, and fishes 
the children of Israel might eat after they should come into the 
land of Canaan, for thev were not to eat of every kind. They 
mio-ht eat of the ox, the deer, the sheep, and the goat; but not of 
the" camel, the rabbit, or the pig. Of fishes they might eat all 
that had fins and scales on them, but those whose skins were 
smooth and without scales they might not eat. And they might 
eat of some kinds of birds, such as the dove, the pigeon, and the 
quail. " But there were many others which were forbidden them, 
such as the ea^le, the raven, the owl, and the swan. Those that 
they might eat were called clean animals, and those they might 
not eat were called unclean. 

We have read of the leprosy which came suddenly upon Moses 
hand, making it white as snow, and then was taken away again, 
leaving it well as it was before. God sent it upon Moses so that 
he might show the miracle to the children of Israel in Egypt. 
But the leprosy was a very dreadful disease that was sometimes 
sent upon persons for their sins. It was not taken away quickly 
then, but it stayed and often spread over their whole bodies, for 
no one could cure it but God. 

And God told Moses and Aaron that when a man should have 
a spot or' sore on his skin that seemed like the beginning of 
leprosv he must be brought to the priest, that the priest might 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 137 

look at it and say whether it were leprosy or not. If it were, the 
man must go away from the camp, from his family, and from all 
the rest of the people, and live in some place alone until he should 
be made well. When God should make him well, he must be 
brought to the priest again. Then the priest would look at him 
and say that he was well. After that he might come back and 
live in the camp. But he must bring three lambs, or, if he were 
poor, and could not bring so many, he might bring one lamb and 
two doves or young pigeons to the tabernacle as offerings to the 
Lord who had healed him. 

Now that room in the tabernacle where Moses had left the 
ark and where God came and dwelt, in a cloud, over the mercv- 
seat, was the most holy part of the tabernacle; it was called the 
most holy place. And the Lord told Moses that no one but 
Aaron, the high priest, might ever go there. And Aaron himself 
must not go often lest he should die. He might go but once 
every year, and then he must go very carefully. Before going 
he was to wash his flesh in water, that he might be clean, and he 
was to take off his splendid high priest's dress and put on a 
plainer dress of pure white linen; for he must go in humbly 
dressed before the Lord. He was to offer up sacrifices before 
going, for his own sins and the sins of all the people, and he was 
to take the blood of those sacrifices into the most holy place and 
sprinkle it, with his finger, before the mercy-seat; and there 
Aaron was to pray that the Lord would forgive him and all 
the people their sins. 

And what was meant by the high priest doing these things ? 
It was meant to show what the Saviour would do for us who 
trust in him. The high priest went to pray for the people into 
the most holy place on earth. The Saviour, after he was cruci- 
fied, went to pray for us up in heaven. The high priest asked 
God to forgive the people for whom the sacrifices had died. The 
Saviour asked God to forgive us for whom he himself had died. 
Now the high priest has long since been dead, and can no more 
ask God to forgive us; but the Saviour still lives in heaven, and 
there he is asking God to forgive us every day. 

On that day when Aaron went into the most holy place the 



I3 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

children of Israel were commanded to do no work, but to remem- 
ber the sins they had committed. God said they should afflict 
their souls for their sins, which means, they should think of them 
and repent of them, with great sorrow. Whoever would not 
do this, God said, should be punished; for that day was to be 
the most solemn day of all the year to the children of Israel. 
It was called the day of atonement. 

God said that when the children of Israel should come into 
Canaan and go into the fields, to cut down their gram and 
bring it into their barns, they must not bring it quite all in, 
they must leave a little. And when the grapes should be ripe 
on their vines, and they should go out to gather them, they must 
not take every grape, they must leave a few. They must do this 
so that poor persons and strangers, who had no fields or vine- 
yards of their own, might come and take what was left. 

The Lord said that the children of Israel must not steal, nor 
deceive nor lie to one another. When a man had been work- 
ing for them they should not tell him to wait until the next day 
to be paid for what he had done; they should pay him that 

same day for his work. . 

If a person were deaf, they must not speak against him 
because he could not hear; or if he were blind, they must not 
put things in his way to make him stumble and fall. If any 
one knew some evil of another, he must not go about telling it, 
he must not be a tale-bearer. 

And the children of Israel were not to hate one another, but 
they were to love each other as they loved themselves. When 
one of them should see another do wrong, he must reprove him 
kindly for what he had done; perhaps, then, he would repent 
of his sin and do so no more. 

If a stranger from another country should come to live among 
them, they must not treat him unjustly, nor take away what 
belonged to him. They must be as kind to him and love him 
as much as though he had always lived with them and was one 
of their own people. 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 



*39 



CHAPTERS XX-XXIII-XXVI (20-23-26) 

THE ISRAELITES MUST NOT GIVE THEIR CHILDREN TO MOLECH. THEY ARE 
COMMANDED TO KEEP THREE FEASTS TO THE LORD EVERY YEAR. THE 
BLASPHEMER IS STONED. THE SABBATH YEAR AND THE YEAR OE JUBILEE. 
BLESSINGS PROMISED AND CURSES THREATENED. 

The heathen nations among whom the children of Israel were 
going, worshipped an idol named Molech. We are told that 




WORSHIPPING THE IDOL MOLECH 



this idol was made of brass and had the face of a calf; and was 
very large and hollow, so that a fire could be lighted inside 
of it. After it was heated very hot those wicked people used to 
put their little children into its arms, where they were burned to 
death; while they were being burned the people beat drums, so 
that their cries could not be heard. They burned their chil- 
dren in this way to please the idol, and they called it giving 



X4° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



their children to Molech. And God told Moses that if any 
man among the Israelites should give his children to Molech, he- 
should be put to death; all the people should stone him with 
stones till he was dead. And if they should let him go without 
punishment, pretending not to know what he had done, God 
said that he himself would punish that man. 

The Lord commanded the children of Israel to keep three 
feasts to him every year. The first was called the feast of the 
passover. We were told about this feast when they kept it for 
the first time on the night they came out ot Egypt. And 
now, the Lord said, they should keep it once every year, eating 
of the lamb in the night as they did then, and for seven days 
afterward eating of unleavened bread. Through all those seven 
days it was called the feast of the passover. While the people 
were keeping this feast it would make them remember how Goo 
had punished Pharaoh for their sakes, and had set them free 
when Pharaoh was determined not to let them go. 

Seven weeks after the passover, they were to keep the feast 
of harvest. It was to last but one day, and was to come after 
the grain had been gathered into the barn. Then the people 
would thank God for sending the rain and the sunshine,, which 
had made their seed grow out in the field, and bear food enough 
for another year. At this feast, the Lord said, they should be 
glad and rejoice; they, and their sons, and their daughters, 
their men-servants, and their maid -servants, and all the people 

who lived in the land. • 

At the end of the year, when all the grain had been gathered 
in from the fields, all the fruits taken off from the trees, and all 
the grapes picked from the vines, they were to keep the feast of 
tabernacles. It was to last seven days. Then, the Lord said, 
thev should cut off branches from the trees and make booths, or 
ten'ts, of them; and they should come out of their houses and 
live in those booths for the seven days of the feast, because the 
children of Israel had lived in tents or booths while they were 
journeving through the wilderness. And the Lord wanted them 
to remember that time after they should come into Canaan and 
have houses there to live in. At each. of these three feasts every 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 



141 



man among the children of Israel was to come to the tabernacle 
and bring an offering to the Lord. 

And God told Moses to command the people that they should 
bring olive-oil for the lamps in the tabernacle. Olives are a 




FEAST OF HARVESTS 



fruit that grows in Canaan. When they are bruised, or pressed, 
a very pure oil runs out of them. It was this oil the people were 
to bring for the seven lamps that belonged to the golden candle- 
stick. The Lord said that every day Aaron and his sons should 
trim the lamps, which were to burn all night in the tabernacle. 
None but the priests might trim them. 



i 4 2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And God commanded Moses to take fine flour and bake 
twelve cakes, or loaves of bread. These were to be placed on 
the golden table which stood in the tabernacle near to the golden 
candlestick. He was to put them there on the sabbath day, and 
leave them a whole week, until the nex.t sabbath. Then the 
priest was to take them away and put fresh loaves in their place. 
The priests were to do this every week. Aaron and his sons 
might eat of the old bread after it was taken away, but they 
might not carrv it to their homes to eat it. They must eat it 
at "the tabernacle, because it was holy bread; it had been set 
on the golden table before the Lord. These twelve loaves were 
called shew-bread. 

Now there was, at this time, a man in the camp whose father 
was an Egyptian, but his mother was one of the children of 
Israel He quarrelled with an Israelite, and, being angry, he 
blasphemed God's name; that is, he spoke wickedly of God. 
And they brought him to Moses; then they put him in some 
place to 'keep him safe until the Lord should tell Moses what 
his punishment must be. And the Lord spoke to Moses and 
commanded him to take the man out of the camp, and let all 
the people stone him. The Lord said that whoever blasphemed 
his name, whether it were one of the children of Israel or a 
stranger who had come to live among them, should surely be 
put to death; all the people should stone him till he was dead. 
And Moses told the people, and they took the man out of the 
camp and stoned him as the Lord commanded. 

God said that after the children of Israel should come into 
the land of Canaan they should plant seed out in the field and 
when it had grown, should cut it down and take it into the barn. 
They should "do this for six years, but when the seventh year 
came they must not plant any seed at all, but must let the 
land alone. If any grain should grow by itself, without being 
planted, they must not cut it; or if any grapes should grow 
on the vines, they must not pick them, for this year, God said, 
should be a sabbath year, or year of rest, for the land. Every 
seventh year, he said, should be so. They were never to plant 
the seed nor take the grain into the barns, nor gather the grapes 



THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS 



*43 



from the vines, in the seventh year. If any of the people were 
afraid they would not have food to eat, because they might 
not plant that year, the Lord told them that he would make 
enough grow the year before to last until the sabbath year 
hac pasc, ana the time had come again for. them to sow their 
seed and reap their grain. 

Once in fifty years was to come the year of jubilee. This 

was to be a glad and happy year; on the day that it began 

trumpets were to be blown through all the land. The people 

were not to sow nor reap in this year; God promised that 

he would give them 

enough food the year 

before, to last through 

the year of jubilee. 

Then, if any man 

had been very poor, so 

that he was forced to 

sell the field which his 

father had left him, 

when the year of 

jubilee came he was 

to have it back. The 

person who bought it 

must give it back to 

him, that it might 

be his own again ; for 

the Lord said it must 

be given back to him. 

Or if any poor man 

among the children of 

Israel had been sold to be a servant, or slave, when the year of 

jubilee came he was to be a slave no longer; neither he nor his 

children, for the Lord said that then they should be free. 

And God told the people that if they would obey his com- 
mandments, he would send rain on their land. Their grain 
should grow well, their trees should bear fruit, they should have 
plenty of bread to eat, and no man should hurt them. The Lord 




THE YEAR OF JUBILEE 



I44 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

would destroy or drive away from Canaan the wild beasts that 
might do them harm; he himself would take care of them, and 
make all their enemies afraid of them. 

But if they would not obey his commandments, God said they 
should have sickness and trouble. They would sow their gram, 
but it would do them no good, for when it had grown up their 
enemies would come and take it from them. Wild beasts would 
carry off their children and kill their cattle; and in the streets 
and roads where there used to be a great many people only a 
few would be left. The Lord would send famine upon them, so 
that thev should have no food, and pestilence, that they should 
die Their enemies would make war on them also, and the 
children of Israel would be carried away from their own land to 
other lands, where the people would hate them There many 
of them would perish. Yet if those who were left alive should 
confess that they had been wicked, and that it was God who 
had punished them, he would punish them no more but would 
be kind to them, and bring them back to the land which he had 
promised Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob to give them. 

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 
CHAPTERS I-XII (1-12) 

THE PEOPLE ARE NUMBERED. THE LEWES ARE CHOSEN TO DO THE WORK 

TH AT THE TABERNACLE. THE CHILDREN OP ISRAEL LEAVE MOUNT S!NM. 

THFIR CAMP THEY MURMUR POR ELESH TO EAT. QUAILS ARE SENT, 

InD MANY OP THE PEOPLE DIE OP A PLAGUE. AABON AND MIPTAM 

SPEAK AGAINST MOSES. 

More than a year had now passed since the children of 
Israel left Egypt, and they were still at mount Sinai, where 
their camp had been so long. For, first, they had waited there 
forty days and forty nights, while Moses was on the mount, 
when God gave him the two tables of stone with the Ten Com- 
mandments written upon them. But these were broken because 
the people worshipped the golden calf. Then they waited forty 
davs and fortv nights more while Moses went up with the two 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 145 

new tables which the Lord commanded him to make. After- 
ward they waited still longer while the tabernacle was building, 
and while God spoke to Moses inside of the tabernacle, giving 
him many new laws for the children of Israel to obey. But now 
the time was near when they should leave mount Sinai and go 
on their journey toward the land of Canaan. 

The children of Israel were divided into great companies, 
called tribes. There were thirteen of these tribes. Each tribe 
was descended from one of the sons of Jacob or of Joseph. 
These were their names: the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, 
Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Ephraim, 
Manasseh, and Benjamin. As they would have to fight against 
their enemies when they came into Canaan, the Lord commanded 
Moses and Aaron to number, or count, the men in the different 
tribes who were able to be soldiers and go out to war. And 
Moses and Aaron did so, and found there were six hundred and 
three thousand, five hundred and fifty of them. 

But the men of the tribe of Levi were not numbered with the 
others, because the Lord did not want them to go out to war. 
He chose them to stay near the tabernacle and take care of it. 
When the children of Israel should go on their journey, the men 
of this tribe were to take the tabernacle down and carry the 
different parts of it, and when they should stop to rest and make 
a camp, these men were to set it up again. For the tabernacle and 
all the things in it were holy, and no one, except the priests and 
Levites, was allowed to come near them or touch them. If any 
other man did so, except when he came to offer up a sacrifice, or 
to worship, the Lord said he must be put to death. 

After the other tribes had been numbered, the Lord com- 
manded Moses to bring the men of the tribe of Levi to Aaron. He 
said that they should help, and wait upon Aaron and his sons. 
They should not only take down the tabernacle, and carry it and 
set it up again, on their journeys, but all the time that it stood 
in the camp they must do the work there ; for there was much 
work to be done. Beside the two lambs, which the priests were 
to offer up every day, the people would bring many other offer- 
ings. Wood must be cut to burn these with; water must be 



IO 



146 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



brought for the laver, where Aaron and his sons were to wash 
their feet and their hands, whenever they should go into the 
tabernacle or offer up a sacrifice; the ashes must be taken away 
from the altar, and the court where the offerings would be killed 
must be kept clean from their blood. Aaron and his sons could 
not attend to all these things, and now God chose the Levites to 
do it And he commanded Moses and Aaron to number them; 
and they did so, and found there were of them, eight thousand 




HIGH PRIEST 



PRIEST 



five hundred and eighty men. So, after they were numbered he 
men of the tribe of Levi went to wait on the priests and do the 
work at the tabernacle. Now Aaron himself was of the tribe of 
Levi but he and his family had been separated to be priests. 
And twelve princes came from the other twelve tribes, bring 
ing presents to the tabernacle. They brought six covered 
wagons and twelve oxen to draw them; also dishes, bowls, and 
Toons, made of silver and gold, to be used at the tabernacle^ 
Then Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the 
Levites to carry different parts of the tabernacle in, when the 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 147 

children of Israel should go on their journey. Two wagons were 
to carry the heavy curtains ; and the other four, the boards cov- 
ered with gold, that made the sides of the tabernacle, and the 
brass pillars that stood around the court. But he gave no wagons 
to carry the ark, the golden table, the golden candlestick, the 
golden altar, and the brass altar, for these were not to be carried 
in wagons, but on the Levites' shoulders. 

Now the pillar of cloud was still over the tabernacle. In the 
day it was the color of a cloud, and in the night the color of fire. 
On the day that Moses set up the tabernacle it came there and 
stood over the most holy place. And after that it stayed there 
always, except when the Lord wanted the children of Israel to 
go on their journey. Then it was lifted up higher. As soon as 
it was lifted up the people knew they were to go, and as the 
cloud moved on they followed after it. As long as it moved 
they followed, but whenever it stopped they stopped, and made 
their camp in that place. 

And when they had made their camp, they stayed there 
until the cloud rose up again from over the tabernacle. If it 
stayed only one day, they stayed one day. If it stayed two 
days, they stayed two days; or if it stayed a whole year, they 
stayed a year. But whenever the cloud was taken up, whether 
it were in the day or in the night, they went on their journey. 
For it was the Lord who made it to stay or to go, and he was 
in this way guiding them through the wilderness. And the 
Lord commanded Moses to make two silver trumpets for 
the priests to blow upon, when Moses wanted to call all the 
people together, and also when they were about to start on 
their journey. 

While on their journey the children of Israel carried stand- 
ards, or banners, with them, and marched like an army. Each 
tribe kept in its own place, and each one had a captain over it. 
In the midst of the other tribes went the Levites, carrying the 
different parts of the tabernacle. As soon as the people stopped 
anywhere to make their camp, the Levites set up the tabernacle 
there. Next to it they set up their own tents, and the other 
tribes set up theirs farther off. This was the way the children 



I4 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of Israel always made their camp. The tabernacle was in the 
middle of it, the tents of the Levites were next, and the tents of 
the other tribes were farther off, but on every side of the taber- 
nacle. And they kept their tents in the same place until they 
took them down to go on their journey again. ^ 

And now the time was come for them to leave mount bmai. 
The Lord spoke to them, and said they had been long enough 
at that place, they should go on their journey toward Canaan. 
Then the cloud rose up from over the tabernacle, and moved 
on before them, and they followed it for three days, until they 
came into the wilderness of Paran. There it stopped and they 

made their camp. , 

We should suppose that when the people saw the cloud going 
before them they would have been thankful to God, and satisfied 
with whatever he chose to give them, until they reached that 
aood land to which he was leading them. But it was not so. 
Because they had no meat to eat in the wilderness they com- 
plained and said, Who shall give us meat to eat ? We remember 
the fish that we had in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, and 
the onions, but now we have nothing at all beside this manna. 
For they still went out every day and gathered the manna, and 
baked it, and made cakes of it. Yet they complained and wept 
because they had no meat, and Moses heard them weeping at the 

doors of their tents. 

And the Lord was very angry with them; and Moses was 
discouraged, because the people that he had the care of did so 
wickedly. He asked the Lord why he gave him the care of them 
all. It was too much for him, he said, and if the Lord was going 
to send him such great trouble, he begged he might die, so that 
he would have it no more. But Moses sinned in speaking so; 
the Lord had always helped him when he was in trouble before 
and was willing to help him now ; he should not have complained, 

but have trusted in him. 

And the Lord commanded Moses to tell the people that they 
should have meat given them, for he had heard them weeping 
and asking, Who will give us flesh to eat ? They should have 
it, he said, not only for one day, nor five days, nor twenty days, 




149 



I5 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

but for a whole month, until it should %e loathsome to them, 
that is, until they could not bear to taste it nor see it. God 
would make it loathsome to them because they had been so 
wicked as to complain of the manna, and to ask why they had 
been brought out of Egypt. . : 

But when the Lord told Moses that the people should have 
flesh for a whole month, Moses could hardly believe it; he 
said, Here are six hundred thousand men, and thou sayest, I 
will give them flesh that they may eat for a whole month. Must 
all the flocks and herds that we brought with us out of Egypt 
be now slain for them ? or shall all the fish of the sea be caught 
to give them enough ? The Lord answered , Has my hand grown 
weak that I cannot do it? Wait and thou shalt see whether my 
words will come true or not. So Moses told the people what the 

Lord said. 

Then the Lord sent a wind that brought quails from the sea, 
and they fell all around the camp. There were so many that 
the ground was covered with them. And the people went out 
and gathered them all that day, and all that night, and all the 
next day. But when they began to eat them, as soon as they 
had put the flesh in their mouths, the Lord sent a great plague 
among the people, and many of them died for their sin and were 
buried there in the wilderness. 

And the cloud was lifted up again, and the people followed it 
until it stopped at a place called Hazeroth; there they stopped 

and made their camp. 

Now Moses was the chief one among the children of Israel, 
because the Lord had chosen him to rule over them, and had 
talked with him, and given him the laws which they were to obey. 
Yet the Bible tells us he was more meek and humble than any 
other man who was then living on the earth. But Miriam, his 
sister, and Aaron, his brother, found fault with him because he 
had married a woman who was not one of the children of Israel. 
They said, too, that God had spoken to them, as well as to him, 
as if they, also, ought to be rulers over the people. 

And the Lord heard what Aaron and Miriam said, and he 
commanded them to go with Moses to the tabernacle. When 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 151 

they had gone there the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud 
and stood by the door. Then he called to Aaron and Miriam, 
and they came before him; and the Lord told them that Moses 
was his servant, who was obedient in doing his will, and he asked 
them why they were not afraid to speak against him. Then the 
pillar of cloud in which the Lord was, rose up from the taber- 
nacle; after it was gone Aaron looked on Miriam, and she was 
covered with leprosy, as white as snow. God had sent it 
upon her as a punishment for their wickedness. When Aaron 
saw it, he was greatly troubled and he spoke to Moses and said, 
We have sinned. And he begged that Miriam might be healed. 
Then Moses prayed earnestly to the Lord for her, saying, Heal 
her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the Lord heard his 
prayer and healed her of her leprosy. Then the people jour- 
neyed from Hazeroth to the wilderness of Paran. 



CHAPTERS XIII-XXI (13-21) 
(Deut. 1, 21, 22) 

the children of israel refuse to enter canaan. they are sent 
back into the wilderness to wander there forty years. the 
sabbath-breaker stoned. the rebellion of korah, dathan, 
and abiram. aaron's rod blossoms. moses and aaron sin at 
the rock. aaron dies at mount hor. fiery serpents are sent 

AMONG THE PEOPLE. 

Now the children of Israel had come near to Canaan, 
and Moses told them to go into that land and take it for their 
own, as the Lord had said they should. But they asked him 
first to send men as spies, who should go and search the land, 
and bring them word of what they saw there. And Moses 
sent twelve men, one from each tribe, and told them to look at 
the land, and see whether it were a good or a bad land, and 
what sort of people lived there; whether they were few or 
many, weak or strong, and whether they lived in tents or in 
cities with walls around them. Moses told them not to fear, 
but to go and bring back also some of the fruits of the land. 

Then the spies went into Canaan, and walked through it 



152 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



from one end to the other, for the Lord kept the people who 
lived there from doing them any harm. At a place called 
Eschol, where grapes were growing, they cut off from the vine a 
branch with a single cluster upon it. This cluster was so large 
that it took two men to carry it. They hung it upon a pole, or 
staff, and one man carried one end of the staff and another the 
other end, so that the cluster was carried between them. They 
brought with them also some pomegranates and figs. 




RETURN OF THE SPIES 

They were forty days in going through the land, then they 
came back to Moses and Aaron, and to all the children of Israel, 
and showed them the fruits they had brought. They said that 
in the land where they had been, the grain and the vines grew 
well, and there was plenty to eat and drink; but that the cities 
had walls around them, and were very great, and the people 
were very strong. They said this because they were afraid, 
and did not want the children of Israel to go there. 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 153 

But two of the spies, named Caleb and Joshua, wanted them 
to go. They remembered that God had promised to give them 
the land, and they were sure that he would keep his promise, 
for they had faith in him. Caleb spoke to the children of Israel 
and begged them to go at once into Canaan, and said they were 
well able to take it for their own. But the other spies per- 
suaded them not to go,, and said that the people who lived 
there were giants, so large that the men whom Moses had 
sent seemed only like grasshoppers when they came near to 
them. So the children of Israel would not go. They all 
began to weep, and they cried that night, and murmured against 
Moses and Aaron, saying, We wish that God had let us die in 
the land of Egypt, or as we came through this wilderness. 
And they asked, Why has the Lord brought us up to this land, 
so that we, our wives, and our children should be killed by our 
enemies? Then they said to one another, Let us choose a 
captain instead of Moses, and go back into Egypt. 

Then Moses and Aaron were in great distress. Joshua and 
Caleb, the two good spies, were troubled also, and they spoke to 
the people again, and told them that the land they had been 
through was a good land, and they begged them not to be afraid 
of the men who lived there ; for the Lord would not help those 
men, they said, but he would help the children of Israel: But 
the people were angry at Caleb and Joshua for saying this, and 
wanted to stone them. 

Then the Lord was greatly displeased with the children of 
Israel, and he told Moses that he would send a pestilence to 
destroy them, and would no longer have them for his people, 
but would make of Moses' descendants a greater nation than 
they were. But Moses spoke to the Lord, and said, that if he 
should destroy the people and not bring them into the land he 
had promised to give them, all the heathen nations who heard 
of it would say that it was because the Lord was, unable to 
bring them in. Then Moses prayed that the Lord would not des- 
troy the children of Israel, but would keep them for his people. 
And the Lord heard Moses' prayer and promised not to 
destroy them. Yet he said that because they had so often 



i S 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

disobeyed him, and would not believe his promise after all the 
wonderful things he had done for them, they could not go into 
Canaan, but must turn back into the wilderness, and there they 
should wander forty years, until all the men who refused to go 
in were dead. Then, after the forty years were ended, and all 
those men had died, God said he would bring their children into 
Canaan. And he promised that Caleb and Joshua, the two good 
spies, should live until that time and go in with them. 

When the children of Israel heard this they were sorry for 
what they had done; and they rose up early in the morning, 
and told Moses that now they were willing to go. But Moses 
told them not to go, for the Lord would not help them, and if 
they should go they would be killed by their enemies. Yet 
they disobeyed him and went, and the people of the land came 
and fought against them, and chased them as bees chase persons 
who come near their hive. Then the children of Israel came 
back into their camp and stayed there many days. Afterward 
they all returned into the wilderness again. 

While they were in the wilderness, some of the people found 
a man who was at work gathering sticks, on the sabbath day 
and so disobeving the Lord's commandment. Then they took 
him and put him in some place to keep him safe, until they 
should know what the Lord would have done to him for his sin. 
And the Lord said to Moses, The man shall surely be put to 
death All the people shall take him out of the camp and 
stone him with stones until he is dead. Then they took the 
man, and brought him out of the camp, and stoned him as the 

Lord commanded. v , , 

After these things three men, named Korah, Datnan, and 
Abiram, with two hundred and fifty more of the men of Israel 
came to Moses and Aaron and spoke against them, saying that 
Aaron had -no right to be high priest, and that Moses ought not 
to be the -ruler over the people. Now Korah was one of the 
Levites who waited on the priests at the tabernacle, but he was 
not satisfied with doing this, he wanted to be a priest : himself. 
That was the reason he came, bringing these men with him, to 
speak against Aaron. And Moses heard what they said, and 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 



i55 



told them that the next day each of them should take a censer 
and burn incense in it, as the priests did, and Aaron should do so 




THE EARTH SWALLOWS UP KORAH, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM 

too. Then, Moses said, the Lord would show which was the 
man he chose for high priest. 

The next day Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and the two hun- 
dred and fifty men, took censers and put fire in them, and 
sprinkled incense on the fire, as the priests did at the tabernacle. 



i S 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And all the rest of the children of Israel came out with them 
to rebel against, or refuse to obey, Moses and Aaron. But the 
Lord was greatly displeased with the people for coming. He 
commanded them to go away from Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 
So the people went away from them. Then Moses said, that if 
the ground should open and swallow up these men, the children 
of Israel would know that they had offended the Lord. And as 
soon as Moses was done speaking, the ground opened and swal- 
lowed up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with their tents, and all 
who were in them. And they cried out as they went down alive 
under the ground; and the earth closed over them. And all 
the people that were near them fled away, when they heard 
their cry for they feared the earth would swallow up them also. 
At the same time that Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swal- 
lowed up, the Lord sent fire that slew the two hundred and fifty 
men who had come out with them.. 

And on the morrow all the people murmured against Moses 
and Aaron, and said it was they who had killed Korah Dathan, 
and Abiram, and the two hundred and fifty men. The people 
said, also, that these men were good men. Then the Lord was 
very an^rv with the children of Israel; he said to Moses and 
Aaron, Go away from them, that I may destroy them in a 
moment. But Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and prayed 
for the children of Israel. Yet the Lord would not hear them, for 
"even while they were praying, he sent a great pestilence among 
the people, and many were already dying m the camp. 

As soon as Moses knew it, he said to Aaron, Take a censer 
and put fire in it from off the altar of burnt offering, and sprinkle 
incense on the fire, and go out quickly and offer up the incense 
to the Lord for the people, because the plague has begum 
And Aaron did as Moses said; he ran out among the people 
and stood, with the burning incense, between those who had 
died and those who were still living, and the Lord caused the 
plague to cease. Yet there died of it fourteen thousand and 
Even hundred persons, beside Korah, Dathan, and Ab.ram, 
and the two hundred and fifty men who were slam with them 
After this the Lord commanded each of the tribes of the 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 



i57 



children of Israel to send Moses a rod. And he commanded 
Moses to write the name of the man who brought it upon every 
rod, so that the rods might be told one from another. Then 
Moses was to take them to the tabernacle, into the most holy 
place, and leave them there before the ark, all night. And one 
of them, God said, should grow in the night, and bear blossoms, 
as if it were still growing on the tree. And the man whose name 




AARON'S ROD BEARS ALMONDS 

was found written on that rod would be the one whom God 
chose for his high priest. God did this because the people had 
come with Korah to complain against Aaron, saying that he 
ought not to be the high priest. 

So the people sent the rods to Moses. And after he had 
written the names on them, Moses took them into the tabernacle 
and left them before the ark all night. The next day he went 
and looked at them, and one of them had grown the blossoms 
and borne almonds; on this rod Aaron's name was written. 



IS 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Then Moses brought out the rods to all the people, and they 
saw that none had grown but Aaron's. And God commanded 
Moses to take that rod and put it in the tabernacle again, to be 
kept there, so that the children of Israel might always remember 
that God had chosen Aaron for his high priest. 

When Aaron and his sons should die, their sons who lived 
after them were to be priests; for all the men who should be 
descended from Aaron were to be priests for the children of 
Israel. And God told the people again that the men of the 
tribe of Levi should be with Aaron and his sons, to help them 
and wait on them, and do the work at the tabernacle. 

And the Lord said that all the other tribes of the children 
of Israel must give to the priests and the Levites a part of their 
grain, of their fruit, and of their cattle. For when they shou d 
come into the land of Canaan the priests and the Levites would 
not have fields given them, where they could sow seed and plant 
vineyards, like the rest of the people. They would not have 
time to attend to these things-they were to stay at the taber- 
nacle, attending to the worship of God. Therefore the other 
tribes were commanded to give them a tenth part of the gram, 
of their fruit, of their cattle, and of everything they should 

86 And the children of Israel journeyed and came into the 
desert of Zin. And Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, died 
and was buried there. And there was no water for the people. 
Then they spoke wickedly again to Moses and Aaron, saying 
Why have ye brought us up into this wilderness, that we and 
our cattle should die ? No figs grow here, nor vines, nor pome- 
granates, and there is no water for us. 

And the Lord told Moses to call the people together at a 
rock which was near that place, and to take the rod m his hand, 
and go with Aaron and speak to the rock: then, the Lord said, 
water should come out of it. Now Moses and Aaron were very 
angry because the people had spoken against them. And when 
they came to the rock, Moses said to them, Hear now, ye rebels, 
must we fetch you water out of this rock? And he lifted up 
his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod, and water 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 159 

came out, a great deal of it, enough for all the children of Israel 
and their cattle to drink. 

But Moses sinned when he spoke in anger to the people. He 
should not have said to them, Must we fetch you water out of 
this rock? as if he and Aaron were doing it. It was the Lord 
who made the water come out for the children of Israel, and 
Moses and Aaron should have taught them to thank him for it. 
But they did not; they took the honor to themselves. And the 
Lord was displeased with them for what they had done, and he 
said that because they had not honored him before the people, 
they should not bring them into the land- of Canaan. The 
children of Israel should go into that land, when the forty years 
were ended which they must pass in the wilderness, but Moses 
and Aaron should not go in with them. They must both die 
before that time. 

And the people came near to Edom, the country where Esau 
went to live. As we have read in the book of Genesis, Esau 
took his wives, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, and all that he 
had in Canaan, and went to live in another country called Edom. 
It had been more than two hundred years since Esau went there, 
and no doubt he was long since dead, but his descendants were 
hvmg there still; it was their land. And now the children of 
Israel wanted to pass through it on their Journey to Canaan; 
therefore Moses asked permission of the king. 

Moses sent word to him saying, Thou knowest how our fathers 
went down into Egypt, and we have lived there for a long time- 
and the Egyptians treated us, and our fathers, very cruelly But 
when we cried to the Lord, he heard us and he has brought us 
out of that land. And now, we prav thee, let us pass through 
thy country; we will not go through the fields to tread down the 
grain, neither will we drink the water out of the wells. We 
will go only by the king's highway, the road on which everv one 
may go, until we have passed through thy land. But the' king 
of Edom said they should not pass through, and he came out 
with his army to fight against them. So the children of Israel 
turned and went by a different way. 

And they came to mount Hor.' There the Lord spoke to 



l6o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Moses and Aaron, and said that Aaron should be gathered to his 
fathers; this meant that he should die and be buried m the 
grave as his fathers had been. Then the Lord said to Moses, 
Take Aaron and his son Eleazar, and bring them up on mount 
Hor; and take off the high priest's garments from Aaron and 
put them on Eleazar, for Aaron shall die there. And Moses 




MOSES LIFTS UP THE SERPENT OF BRASS 



did as the Lord commanded. He and Aaron and Eleazar, 
Aaron's oldest son, went up on mount Hor, and all the people 
saw them going up. And Moses took the high P"f ^>— 
off Aaron, and put them on Eleazar his son, and Aaron died 
there on the top of the mount. So Eleazar was made high priest 
in the place of his father. And Moses and Eleazar came down 
from the mount. When all the people saw that Aaron was dead, 
tbey mourned for him thirty days. _ 

But the children of Israel had yet a long way to go, and tne) 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 161 

grew weary of the journey, and sinned again, by speaking against 
God and against Moses. They said, There is no bread here for us, 
nor water, and we loathe this manna. And the Lord was angry,' 
and sent fiery serpents into the camp, which bit the people so that 
many of them died. Then they came to Moses and said, We 
have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against 
thee; and they begged Moses to pray that the serpents might be 
taken from them. Moses prayed for them; and the Lord 
commanded him to make a serpent of brass, like those which bit 
the people, and to set it up on a pole. And whoever was bitten, 
the Lord said, if he would look at that serpent of brass, should 
be made well. 

So Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, 
and when any one who had been bitten looked at it, he was 
made well. Yet the serpent of brass could not make him well. 
It was the Lord who did it, because that serpent, lifted up on 
the pole, meant, or represented, the Saviour who was to be lifted 
up on the cross. And it was intended to teach us, who read of 
it now, how we should look up to the Saviour, so that he may 
save us from being punished for our sins. 



CHAPTERS XXII-XXXV (22-35) 

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ENCAMP ON THE PLAINS OF MOAB. BALAK SENDS 
FOR BALAAM TO CURSE THEM. THE PEOPLE SIN AND ARE PUNISHED 
BY A PLAGUE. THEY COME TO JORDAN. TWO AND A HALF TRIBES ASK 
PERMISSION TO STAY ON THAT SIDE OF THE RIVER. 

The children of Israel journeyed again,, and came to the 
plains of Moab. A people called the Moabites lived there 
whose king was named Balak. When Balak saw the children 
of Israel he was afraid, because he thought they had come to 
make war against him, and there were too many of them for his 
soldiers to fight with. Therefore he sent for a man named 
Balaam to come and curse them. We curse a person when we ask 
God to send some great evil upon him. The king of the Moabites 
wanted some great evil sent upon the children of Israel, and he 



ii 



T 6 2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

thought that if Balaam asked for it God would send it, because 
Balaam pretended to have power with God. 

So the king sent for Balaam, and told him that he would give 
him silver and gold, and make him rich and great, if he would 
come and curse the children of Israel. Now Balaam loved 
riches, and although the children of Israel had done him no 
harm, he was willing to curse them for the silver and gold 
which the king promised to give him. Therefore he rose up 
early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and started to go 
with the men whom the king had sent for him. 

But God was angry with Balaam for going, and sent his 
angel to stand before him in the way, with a drawn sword in 
his hand. Balaam could not see the angel, but the ass saw him, 
and she turned out of the way into the field. Then Balaam 
struck the ass to make her go back. And the angel went on 
further, and stood in Balaam's path, at a place where there was 
a wall on each side of it. When the ass came to the place, she 
pressed up very close to the wall to get by, but she hurt Ba- 
laam's foot in doing so, and he struck her again. Then the angel 
went on further still, and stood in a narrow place where there 
was no room to turn to the right hand nor the left. And toe 
ass, because she was afraid, fell down upon the ground -under 
Balaam. Then Balaam was very angry, and struck her with 
the staff that he had in his hand. 

And the Lord made the ass to speak like a man, and say, 
What have I done to thee that thou hast struck me these three 
times ? Balaam answered that it was because she had disobeyed 
him and turned out of the way when he wanted her to go on. 
And Balaam said, I wish there was a sword in my hand, for now 
would I kill thee. Then the ass spoke to him again, saying, Hast 
thou not ridden upon me ever since I was thine until this day, 
and have I ever done so before ? He answered, No. 

Then the Lord made Balaam see the angel standing before 
him with the sword in his hand, and Balaam bowed down with 
his face to the ground. And the angel said to him, Why hast 
thou struck thine ass these three times? Behold I have come 
out against thee, because thy way is wicked before me. And 




BALAAM SEES THE ANGEL IN HIS PATH 



163 



l64 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

the ass saw me and turned out of the path ; unless she had turned 
from me, surely now I had slain thee and saved her alive. Then 
the angel commanded Balaam to go with the men whom the 
king had sent, but to speak to the king only those things which 
the angel should tell him. m 

So Balaam went with the men, and when the king heard of 
it he came out to meet him. The next day the king took him 
up on a high place, from which Balaam could look down and 
see all the camp of the children of Israel. And Balaam told 
the king to build seven altars in that place, and get ready seven 
bullocks and seven rams, to offer up as burnt offerings. The 
king did as Balaam said; he built seven altars, and they offered 
up a bullock and a ram on every altar. Then Balaam asked 
the king to stay by the burnt offering while he went away to a 
place alone, that he might see whether the Lord would speak 
with him, and let him curse the children of Israel. 

And Balaam went away to a place alone, and the Lord came 
and met him there. Then Balaam told him of the altars he 
had built, and of the animals he had offered. But the Lord 
would not let him curse the children of Israel; he sent him 
back to the king and made him speak good things of them. 

Then the king told Balaam to come to another place; and he 
took him up to the top of a mountain, and there he built seven 
more altars, and made ready seven bullocks and seven rams, 
and they offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. For 
Balaam thought that, by building so many altars and offering 
up so many sacrifices, he might persuade the Lord to let him 
curse the people. But it was wicked in Balaam to think so, 
for the Lord would not be persuaded to let any one do wrong, 
no matter how often he should ask, nor how many offerings he 

should bring him. N • 

Then Balaam told the king again to stay by his burnt otter- 
ings while he went away alone to speak with the Lord and 
ask permission to curse the people. And Balaam went away, 
and the Lord came and spoke to him, yet he would not let 
him curse the children of Israel. 

And the king said to Balaam, Come, I will bring thee yet to 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 165 

another place ; perhaps the Lord will let thee curse them from 
there. Then he took him to a mountain called Peor, and built 
seven altars, and they offered up a bullock and a ram on every 
altar, as they had done before. Still the Lord would not let 
Balaam curse the people, for when he came to speak with the king 
the Lord made him say good things of them and bless them. 
And the king was angry at Balaam, and said, I sent for thee to 
curse my enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed them these three 
times. Then he told him to make haste and go back to his own 
home. -And he sent him away, without any of the silver and 
gold which Balaam wanted so much. 

When the Moabites found that they could not bring evil upon 
the children of Israel by seeking permission for Balaam to curse 
them, they tried another way to do them harm. They tempted 
them to sin and offend God. Balaam taught the Moabites how 
to do this. He told them, and another people of that country, 
called the Midianites, to invite the children of Israel to the 
feasts which they held to their idols. And the Moabites and 
Midianites did as Balaam said. They invited the children of 
Israel to their feasts, and the children of Israel came and ate 
with them and bowed down to their idols. Then the Lord was 
angry with the children of Israel, and sent a pestilence which 
killed many thousands of them. 

And the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness forty 
years. But when those years were ended God brought them 
near to the land of Canaan again, and he commanded Moses and 
Eleazar to number them, and count how many of the men were 
able to be soldiers, and go to war, as Moses and Aaron had done 
while their camp was at mount Sinai. And when Moses and 
Eleazar went out and numbered them, they found that all those 
men who had refused to go to Canaan the first time had died 
in the wilderness, as the Lord said they should. But Caleb and 
Joshua, the good spies, were living still, for he had promised that 
they should live, to go with the people into the land. 

_ And the Lord commanded Moses to make war against the 
Midianites, because they had tempted the children of Israel to 
sin and worship idols. Then Moses sent twelve thousand men, 



1 66 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



a thousand from each tribe, against them. And the men of 
Israel gained the victory over them and slew their kings, and 
Balaam also, who had taught the Midianites how to tempt the 
people. The men of Israel took away all the goods that 
belonged to the Midianites, and all their cattle; seventy-two 
thousand oxen, sixty-one thousand asses, and six hundred and 
seventy-five thousand sheep. And they burned their cities and 




THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ON THEIR JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS 



their great castles with fire. After the battle was over, the 
officers of the children of Israel came to Moses and said, We have 
counted the men that went out with us to fight, and all of them 
are here, not one has been slain. Therefore we have brought to 
thee, for the Lord, the gold and the jewels which we took from 
the Midianites. And Moses, and Eleazar the high priest, took 
the gold and the jewels, and carried them into the tabernacle as 
an offering to the Lord. 



THE BOOK OF NUMBERS 167 

And the Lord brought the people near to the river Jordan ; 
there they made their camp. And they waited until he should 
command them to pass over, for on the other side was the land 
of Canaan. But while they were waiting there, two of the tribes 
of the children of Israel came to Moses and told him that they 
did not want to pass over Jordan. They wanted to stay in the 
land where they were then (which was called the land of Gilead), 
because it was a good land for feeding cattle, and they had a 
great many cattle. 

Moses was displeased with them, for he thought they 
wanted to stay there because they were afraid to fight against the 
wicked nations in Canaan. He said to them, Shall your brethren 
go over to war, while you rest here ? They answered him, We 
will build sheep-folds for our cattle, and houses for our wives 
and little children to live in; but we, who are men, will go over 
Jordan with our brethren, and help them fight against the nations 
who live there, until those nations shall be driven out and our 
brethren shall have the land for their own. After that we will 
come back, and have our homes on this side of the river. Then 
Moses said if they would do this, it should be as they wished. 
And he spoke to the rest of the people, and told them to let the 
two tribes have the land that they asked for. So the people 
gave them the land of Gilead. 

And the men of the two tribes built folds for their sheep, and 
houses for their families to live in, till they should come back to 
that land again. These two tribes were the tribes of Reuben 
and Gad. And half the tribe of Manasseh, also, asked per- 
mission to stay and have their homes on that side of Jordan. 

_ And the Lord spoke to Moses, and told him that when the 
children of Israel should go over into Canaan, they must drive 
out all the heathen nations that lived there. They must break 
down their idols, and destroy the places they had built to wor- 
ship their idols in. They must take the land from those wicked 
nations and keep it for themselves, because the Lord meant to 
give it to them. Every man among the children of Israel was 
to have a part of the land given to him, where he might build 
his house, and sow his grain, and feed his cattle. But if they 



i68 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

would not obey the Lord, and drive out all the heathen nations, 
then, the Lord' said, those that were left would cause the children 
of Israel also to sin, and to worship idols, so that after a while 
the Lord would drive them out too, as he was now going to drive 
out those wicked nations. 

The Lord told Moses how large the land was that he 
would give the children of Israel, and how far it would reach. 
And he named the men who would divide it among the people, 
and give each tribe the part it was to have. But the priests 
and the Levites were to have no land given them. Yet they 
would need houses to live in ; therefore the Lord commanded the 
people to give them some of the cities of Canaan. They were to 
give them forty-eight cities, which should belong to them. And 
the priests and Levites were to take their wives, and their sons, 
and their daughters into those cities, and have their homes there. 



THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 

MOSES SPEAKS TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. HE TELLS THEM OF THE 
GOOD LAND TO WHICH THEY ARE GOING, AND WARNS THEM NOT TO 
FORGET GOD WHEN THEY SHALL COME THERE. THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 
THE FIRST FRUITS MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE TABERNACLE. MOSES 
DIES ON MOUNT NEBO. 

While the children of Israel had their camp near the river 
Jordan, Moses spoke to them for the last time. He knew 
that he could not go with them into Canaan, but must die before 
they went, and he feared that after he should be taken from 
them they would forget the things that God had spoken to them 
and done for them. Therefore he told them again about many 
of those things. He reminded them of the time when they came 
near to Canaan before, but would not go into it, because the 
spies who had been through the land told them that the people 
were greater and stronger than they. And the Lord was angry 
with the children of Israel and sent them back into the wilder- 
ness, where they had stayed forty years. Then Moses said, as 
the end of that time drew near, the Lord commanded them to 
come toward Canaan again. 



THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 169 

And as they came they passed by the land of Bashan, and 
Og, king of Bashan, came out and fought with them. But the 
Lord gave them the victory over him. They took from him 
sixty cities, which had high walls around them, with gates, and 
bars to keep the gates shut, when their enemies should come 
against them. The Lord gave the children of Israel, also, the 
land on which those cities stood, and all the cattle that belonged 
to the people. This Og, king of Bashan, was a giant; for the 
Bible tells us there were giants in those days, and Og was the 
last one left of them in that country. His bedstead was made 
of iron, and was twice as large as the bedsteads of other men. 

And Moses told the people that he begged the Lord, at that 
time, to let him go over and see the good land to which they were 
going across Jordan. But the Lord would not let him go, and 
commanded him to speak of it no more. For he remembered 
how Moses and Aaron had sinned at the rock, where they were 
sent to bring out water for the people. Yet the Lord said that 
Moses should go up on a high mountain from which he could 
see that land afar off, but he should not cross over Jordan and 
go into it. 

Then Moses asked the Lord to choose a man who should go 
over with the people and lead them as he had done, because if 
they should have no one to guide and take care of them, they 
might be scattered and lost, like sheep without a shepherd. And 
the Lord said that Joshua should go with them, and that they 
should obey him as they had before obeyed Moses. 

And Moses told all the people that God said they should teach 
his commandments to their children, and talk with their children 
about them, while they were sitting at home in the house; when 
they went out, as they walked by the way; before they went to 
sleep at night, and when they awoke in the morning. They were 
to tell them often about God, how great and good and kind he 
was, and about his laws, so that they might learn to obey them. 

And when the Lord should bring the children of Israel into 
Canaan and give them great and beautiful cities which they 
had not built, and houses full of good things which they had 
not brought there, and wells which they had not digged, and 



i 7 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

vineyards and olive trees which they had not planted ; when they 
should have all these things given them, with as much to eat as 
they wanted, they must be careful lest they should forget the 
Lord who gave them these things. 

They must remember, then, how he had led them forty years 
through the wilderness and fed them with manna. In all that 
time their clothes had not grown old, nor worn out, and though 
they had come so far, their feet had never swollen nor been sore 
with their journey. For God had led them through that lonely 
wilderness, where there was no bread to eat nor water to drink, 
that he might bring them into a better land, where streams ran" 
through the fields, and springs of water came out of the ground, 
in the valleys and on the hills. In that good land the wheat 
grew and bore grain, and the vine bore grapes; the fig-tree, the 
pomegranate, and the olive bore their fruit. There the children 
of Israel should have bread enough, and never want anything. 
And under the ground, among the rocks, and in the hills they 
should find iron and brass, of which they could make many 
things that they needed to use. 

After they should come to that good land, and their herds 
of cattle and flocks of sheep should grow larger, and they should 
be rich, and have very much of silver and gold, then they must 
not be proud, and say they had gotten these things for them- 
selves, for it was the Lord who would give them to the children 
of Israel. And if they forgot him, and served other gods, they 
also would be destroyed like those nations which he was now 
going to destroy in the land of Canaan. 

And Moses told the people that very soon they were to pass 
over Jordan, and the Lord would go before them. They would 
have to fight against the nations that lived there, but it was the 
Lord who would give them the victory. And when he should 
have given them the victory, and driven out those nations, the 
children of Israel must not say that it was because they were 
righteous he had done it. For it was not because they were 
righteous, but because those nations were wicked that God would 
drive them out; and because he had promised Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob that he would give the land to the children 



THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 17, 

of Israel. For the children of Israel had not been righteous, 
they had not obeyed the Lord. They should remember, and 
never forget, how often in the wilderness they had sinned against 
him, from the time they left Egypt until they came to that place 
where their camp was then. 

And Moses said that the land of Canaan, to which they were 
going, was not like the land of Egypt from which they came. 
In Egypt it scarcely ever rained. A river, called the Nile, ran 
through the land. Once every year this river rose up higher 
than it was at other times, and flowed over the fields and gardens 
that were near it. But where the water from the river did not 
come, the people had to carry it or nothing would grow. This 
caused them great labor and trouble. But in Canaan rain fell 
from the sky and watered all the land. And now, Moses said, 
if the children of Israel would love God, and serve him 
with all their hearts, he would send them this rain as it should 
be needed, to make the corn, the vines, and the olive-trees grow, 
and grass also in the fields for the cattle to eat. 

Now the people of Canaan served idols, and made places in 
which to worship them, on mountains and hills, and under trees. 
They built altars also on which they offered sacrifices to them : 
even their sons and their daughters they burned in the fire to 
their false gods. Moses told the children of Israel again, that 
they must destroy all the places where idols had been wor- 
shipped, and throw down the altars and the images. But the 
children of Israel must offer their sacrifices in only one place, 
which the Lord would choose for them after they came into the 
land of Canaan. There his tabernacle would be, and the people 
must bring all their burnt offerings there to be burned by the 
priests on the altar. 

And if any man should try to persuade one of them to go 
away from the tabernacle and sacrifice to other gods, and not 
to the Lord, the one whom he persuaded must not go with him, 
but he must tell all the people of what the man had said, and 
the people must take that man out and stone him with stones 
till he was dead. 

And the Lord commanded the children of Israel, whenever 



i 72 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

there should be any poor man among them, to be kind to him, 
and lend him whatever he needed, even though they might think 
he could never pay them again. And they should lend to him 
willingly, not feeling sorry to do it, nor wishing in their hearts 
that he had not asked them; for on account of their being 
kind to the poor, the Lord would bless them in everything 

they did. 

And God told the children of Israel that some of the cities in 
the land of Canaan must be cities of refuge ; this meant cities 
where a man, who had killed another by accident, might go and 
be safe from punishment. God had said before that any person 
who killed another on purpose, and because he hated him, should 
be put to death. He would be a murderer, and the murdered 
man's brother, or his son, or his nearest relation was allowed to 
kill him wherever he found him. But sometimes a man might 
kill another without intending it. He might go to the woods to 
cut down a tree, and while doing it, the head of the axe might 
fly from the handle, and strike some one who was standing near, 
and hurt him so that he would die. Yet the man who killed 
the other would not be a murderer. But for fear the dead man's 
brother, or his son, or some relation of his might come in anger 
and kill him, he must make haste to the city of refuge. • 

And when he should come to the gate of the city, he must tell 
the elders who lived there of what he had done. And the elders 
would take him into the city and give him a place where he 
might live. And if the brother, or the son of the man he had 
killed, should come and ask for him, they would not give him 
up, because, although he had killed the man, he had not meant 
to do him any harm. But if some wicked murderer should 
come there, the elders would not take him into the city to save 
him from punishment, they would give him up to be put to 

death for his sin. 

The Lord said that when the people should come into Canaan 
and live there, and have the land for their own, each man must 
take the first of the grain, and the first of the fruits, that should 
grow ripe in his fields, and put them into a basket and bring 
them to the tabernacle. And the priest at the tabernacle should 




FLEEING TO THE CITY OF REFUGE 



173 



174 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



take the basket out of the man's hand, and set it down before 
the altar of burnt offering. Then the man should say, I have 
brought the first fruits of the land which thou, O Lord, hast 
given me. And there he should worship the Lord. And the 
man was to leave the basket, with the first fruits in it, at the 
tabernacle ; and the Lord said these should belong to the priest. 
For the Lord gave them to the priest, because the priests would 




THE ISRAELITES BRING THEIR OFFERINGS TO THE TABERNACLE 



have no fields, nor orchards, in which to raise grain and fruit 
for themselves. And the Lord commanded each man among 
the children of Israel to bring his first fruits, every year, in 
this way as an offering to the tabernacle. 

Moses told the people that on the day they should go over 
Jordan into Canaan, they must set up some great stones there 
and cover them with plaster. And while the plaster was yet 
soft, they must write on it all the words of the law which God 



THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY 175 

had given them. Then when the plaster grew hard, those words 
would remain; and every one who passed by could read God's 
law written upon it. 

And Moses said to the children of Israel that if they would 

obey the Lord, the Lord would make them greater than any 

other nation. He would bless their children, their land, and 

their cattle. Their enemies, who should come out against them, 

would be afraid and flee away before them. And all the other 

nations of the earth should know that the Lord had chosen them 

for his people. But if they would not obey him, they should 

have great trouble. They would sow much seed in their fields, 

but reap only a little grain, for the locusts would come and 

destroy it; they would plant their vines, but should not gather 

the grapes, for the worms would eat them. They should have 

sickness such as could not be cured. And the Lord would send 

against them a fierce nation that would not pity the old or the 

young, but would take their cattle and their food, and at last 

carry them and their children away, as captives, to other lands, 

where the children of Israel should be slaves to their enemies, 

and, like their enemies, worship idols of wood and stone. 

Moses said to the people that he had now set before them the 
good way and the evil way, and he begged them to choose the 
good way, so that they and their children might live and not 
die. And he told them he was a hundred and twenty years old 
that day and could not go over Jordan with them, but Joshua, 
he said, would go. Then he called Joshua before them all, and 
told them that he was to go with them, and lead them, and help 
them take the land. And the Lord commanded Moses to come 
with Joshua to the tabernacle; and when they came there, the 
Lord appeared to them in the pillar of cloud, and he appointed 
Joshua to be ruler over the people after Moses should die. 

Moses wrote down in a book the laws which God had 
given him. And he commanded the priests and the elders, once 
in every seven years, to gather all the people together, the men, 
the women, and the children, and to read those laws out loud to 
them, that they might hear them and learn to obey them. And 
he gave the book to the Levites who carried the ark, and told 



176 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



them to take it and put it in the side of the ark, that it might 
always be kept there. 

After these things, the Lord spoke to Moses and commanded 
him to go up on a mountain called mount Nebo, and to look 
from there across Jordan into the land where the children of 
Israel were going. Then, when he should have seen that land, 
the Lord said, Moses should die on the mount, as Aaron had 
died on mount Hor. And Moses went from the place where 




MOSES SEES THE PROMISED LAND FROM MOUNT NEBO 



the children of Israel had their camp, on to the mountain which 
the Lord told him of. And when he came to the top of it, the 
Lord made him see very far over the land of Canaan, and told 
him that this was the land which he had promised Abraham, 
and Isaac, and Tacob, to give their descendants. 

So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there on the top of 
the mount, before the people came into that good land. And 
the Lord buried him in a valley, in the land of Moab, but no 
man has ever known the place where he was buried. He was a 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 177 

hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet he had not 
grown weak from age, but was well and strong until the day 
that the Lord took him. 

After he was dead, Joshua ruled over the people, and they 
obeyed him as they had obeyed Moses. For the Lord gave 
Joshua wisdom, and made him able to teach them and guide 
them as Moses had done before. But there was never afterward 
any man among the children of Israel, whom the Lord talked 
with, face to face, as he did with Moses; or whom he sent to 
do such wonderful works as he sent him to do, in Egypt and in 
the wilderness. 

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 



CHAPTERS I-VIII (1-8) 

JOSHUA SENDS SPIES INTO THE CITY OF JERICHO. THE PRIESTS CARRY THE 
ARK BEFORE THE PEOPLE, OVER JORDAN. THE LORD SPEAKS TO JOSHUA. 
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TAKE JERICHO. ACHAN'S SIN AND PUNISH- 
MENT. AI IS TAKEN. 

The Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, Moses, my servant, is 
dead. Now therefore, do thou arise and take the children 
of Israel over Jordan, into that land which I give them. Be 
strong and brave, and very careful to obey all that is written in 
the book of the law, so that thou mayest do well and prosper. 
And fear not, for I will be with thee to help thee wherever thou 
goest. Then Joshua spoke to the officers of the children of 
Israel, and said to them, Go through the camp and command all 
the people that they make food ready to take with them, for 
within three days you shall pass over Jordan. 

Joshua first sent two men as spies over Jordan, to look at the 
land before the children of Israel should go into it. And the 
men crossed over the river to a city of Canaan, called Jericho, 
and went into the house of a woman named Rahab. Then some 
one told the king of Jericho that two spies of the children of 
Israel^ had come into the city and were at Rahab's house. So 
the king sent to Rahab and asked her to bring out the men. 



12 



178 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Now the roofs of the houses in that country were flat, so that 
persons could walk on them. And Rahab took the two men 
up on the roof of her house, and hid them under some stalks 
of flax which were spread out to dry there. 

Then the king's messengers came, but could not find them. 
After the messengers had gone, Rahab went up and talked with 
the men. She told them that she knew the Lord had given the 
land to the children of Israel, for the people of Canaan had 
heard how he made the Red Sea dry for them to cross over it, 
and afterward helped them in fighting against their enemies. 
As soon as the people heard of these things, Rahab said, they 
were afraid of the children of Israel. Then she asked the two 
men to promise that they would remember her kindness to them, 
and not let her, or any of her family, be put to death, when the 
children of Israel should come to take the city of Jericho. And 
the men said that if she would tell no one of their coming, they 
would do as she asked. 

Then they told her to fasten some scarlet thread, or cord, in 
the window of her house, so that they could see it from the out- 
side, and know which house was hers, when they should come 
back with the children of Israel to take the city. And they 
promised that no one inside of her house should be harmed. 

Now Jericho had a wall around it, and Rahab 's house stood 
close to the wall, and was built up above it, so that there was a 
window in her house over the wall. And she let the two men 
down from that window, by a cord, outside of the wall, that they 
might flee from the city. For the gates of the city had been 
shut by the king's servants, to keep the spies from going out 
there. And Rahab told them to go and hide for three days in 
a mountain that was near, until the king's servants should cease 
looking after them. And the two men went and hid for three 
days in the mountain, as Rahab said, until the servants of the 
king had given up looking for them. Afterward they crossed 
over the river again, and went back to Joshua in the camp and 
told him of all that had happened to them. 

Joshua and all the people rose up early in the morning 
and came to the banks of the river; there they stayed three 



COPYRIGHT. 1911, BY W. A.. FOSTER 




RAHAB HIDES THE SPIES 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 



179 



days. Then Joshua said to the children of Israel, Make your- 
selves ready; to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. 
For the priests shall carry the ark over Jordan before you, and 
it shall be that as soon as their feet stand in the river the waters 
shall cease to flow, and the priests shall walk through Jordan 
on dry ground. 

And it came true as Joshua said; for on the morrow the 
priests took up the ark and carried it toward the river, and all 







THE PRIESTS CARRY THE ARK OVER JORDAN 

the people followed after them. When the priests came to 
the edge of the river, as soon as their feet touched the water, the 
water parted before them, and they walked out on dry ground 
into the middle of the river. There they stood with the ark, 
and waited while all the children of Israel passed over to the 
other side, into the land of Canaan. 

The men of the two and a half tribes, who had asked to have 
their homes in the land of Gilead, went over also, as they had 
promised Moses to do, forty thousand of them, armed, to help 



180 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

their brethren fight against the nations of the land. After the 
people had gone over, the priests, carrying the ark, followed 
them. And as soon as they came up out of the river and stood 
on the shore, the waters flowed in the river again, rilling it as 
full as it had been before. 

The children of Israel made their camp at a place called 
Gilgal. There they found some of the corn that had grown in 
the land, and they parched it and did eat of it. And on the 
morrow, after they had eaten the corn, the manna ceased com- 
ing. For forty years the Lord had sent it to them in the wilder- 
ness, where no grain grew. But now they were in Canaan, 
where there was plenty of food for them, therefore the Lord 
sent the manna no more. 

Joshua went out of the camp and came near to the walls 
of the city of Jericho. And he looked up and saw a man stand- 
ing there, with a drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua came 
to him, and said, Art thou for us or for our enemies? The 
man answered, As captain of the Lord's army I am come. He 
called the army of Israel the Lord's army, and he meant to tell 
Joshua that he had come as their captain, to show them how 
they should gain the victory over their enemies. Then Joshua 
bowed down to the earth and worshipped him ; for this man was 
the Lord; the same who came to Abraham's tent and told him 
that he would destroy Sodom; and that wrestled with Jacob 
when he was coming back from Laban's house into Canaan. 

Now the people of Jericho had shut up the gates of the city, 
so that no one could go out or come in, because they were afraid 
of the children of Israel. But the Lord said he would give 
Joshua the victory over the king of Jericho; and he told him 
in what way the children of Israel should take the city. All 
their men of war, or soldiers, he said, should march around the 
city once every day for six days; and some of the priests should 
carry the ark around with them. Seven more priests were to go 
before the ark, and to blow on trumpets made of rams' horns. 
But on the seventh day the children of Israel were commanded 
to march around Jericho seven times, and the priests were to blow 
on the trumpets. Then, when the men of Israel should hear a 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 



181 



long blast on the trumpets, they were all to give a great shout, 
and the Lord said that the wall of the city should fall down flat, 
so that they could go up into the city. 

And Joshua told the children of Israel that only Rahab, and 
the persons who were in her house with her, should be saved 
alive; for the Lord had commanded that all the rest of the 
people of Jericho should be put to death for their sins. And 




THE TAKING OF JERICHO 

Joshua said that all the silver and gold, and the vessels made 
out of brass and iron, which should be found in the city, belonged 
to the Lord, and must be put into the treasury where the things 
were kept which were given to 'him. Joshua commanded the 
people not to take any of the silver or gold, or brass or iron, 
for their own, lest the Lord should send a great punishment 
upon them for their disobedience. 

So the people did as the Lord commanded. On the first day 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

they marched around the city once, and after them came the 
priests that blew on the trumpets. Then followed the priests 
who carried the ark. On the second day they marched around 
the city again. So they did for six days. But on the seventh 
day they rose up early, before it was light, and marched around 
the city seven times. The last time, when .the priests blew with 
the trumpets, Joshua said to the children of Israel, Shout, for 
the Lord has given you the city. 

Then the people shouted, and as they did so the wall of the 
city fell down flat before them, and they went up into Jericho 
and took it. And Joshua told the spies, who had been at Rahab's 
house before, to go and bring out all the persons who were there, 
as they had promised to do. And they went and brought out 
Rahab and her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who 
were with her. Afterward the children of Israel burned the 
city; but the silver and gold, and the vessels of iron and brass 
were put into the treasury of the Lord. Joshua saved 
Rahab alive, and all her relations, because she hid the spies whom 
he had sent into Jericho. And after that she lived among the 
children of Israel. 

And Joshua sent spies to another city of Canaan, called Ai. 
When the spies came back they told him that not many people 
lived there, and that only a small army of the men of Israel 
need go up to take the city. Two or three thousand of them 
would be enough, they said. So Joshua sent up about three 
thousand men. But when the men of Ai came out against 
them, the Israelites were afraid and fled, and the men of Ai 
slew about thirty-six of them. 

Then Joshua was in great distress. He rent his clothes, and 
he and the elders of Israel bowed down with their faces to the 
earth, praying, until the evening. And Joshua cried to the 
Lord, saying, All the people of Canaan will hear how the children 
of Israel have fled before their enemies; and they will gather 
around us on every side and kill us, till none of us are left. 
But the Lord told him to rise up, and asked him why he lay 
with his face to the ground. There was sin among the children 
of Israel, the Lord said, and that was the reason they had 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 



183 



been afraid, and not able to stand before their enemies. For 
one of them had taken some of the silver and gold that was in 
Jericho, and hidden it, instead of putting it in the treasury 
of the Lord. And the Lord said he would not be with them 




achan's sin. finding the hidden treasure 



to help them again, unless they punished the man who had done 
this thing. 

And he commanded Joshua to bring out all the people before 
him, that he might show who the man was. That man, the Lord 
said, should be burned with fire— he and all that he had. So 



1 84 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought out all the 
people, and the Lord showed him the man. His name was 
Achan. And Joshua said to him, Tell me now what thou hast 
done — hide it not from me. Achan answered that, when he 
had seen in Jericho a beautiful garment, and some silver money, 
and a piece of gold, he wanted them for 'his own; so he took 
them, and hid them in the ground under his tent. 

Then Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to Achan's tent, 
and found the things hidden there as he said. They took 
them out and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children 
of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. Then Joshua and 
all the people took Achan, and the beautiful garment, and the 
silver and gold which he had hidden, his sons also and his 
daughters, his tent and his cattle, and everything that he had, 
and brought them into a valley. There they stoned them with 
stones, and afterward burned them with fire. And over Achan's 
dead body they raised a great heap of stones, to show where it 
lay. Therefore the Lord was no longer angry with the children 
of Israel on account of this sin, because they punished the man 
who had done it. And the name of the valley was called Achor, 
which means Trouble. 

Then the Lord said to Joshua, Fear not; take all the men 
of war with thee, and go up again to Ai, for now I will give thee 
the city, and the king of Ai, his people, and his land. And the 
Lord commanded Joshua to do to the people of Ai as he had 
done to the people of Jericho ; they were to be put to death for 
their sins. But he said that the gold and the silver which the 
children of Israel should find there, they need not put into the 
treasury of the Lord; they might take it for themselves. 

So Joshua, and all the men of war, arose to go up against Ai. 
But they did not all of them go together. Joshua chose thirty 
thousand brave soldiers, whom he sent away in the night to go 
around behind the city, and hide where the people of Ai could 
not see them. The rest went with Joshua in front of the city. 
When the king of Ai saw the men who were with Joshua, he 
thought they were all that had come, and he marched out with 
his army to fight against them. Then those who were hidden 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA . 185 

behind the city, came into it and set it on fire. When the men of 
Ai looked back, and saw the smoke of their city going up to- 
ward heaven, they knew not which way to go. Joshua and 
his men were in front of them, and those who had set the city 
on fire were behind them, so they could not escape. And Joshua 
put them to death, as the Lord commanded. But the gold, and 
silver, and the cattle which were in Ai the children of Israel 
took for their own. 

And Joshua built an altar of great stones on the mountain 
called Ebal ; and he covered the stones with plaster and wrote 
on the plaster the words of God's law, as Moses commanded the 
children of Israel to do before they crossed over Jordan. 



CHAPTERS IX-XXIV (9-24) 

THE GIBEONITES DECEIVE THE MEN OF ISRAEL. JOSHUA WARS AGAINST THE 
CANAANITES. THE SUN AND THE MOON STAND STILL. THE MEN OF 
THE TWO AND A HALF TRIBES RETURN TO GILEAD. JOSHUA SPEAKS 
TO THE PEOPLE. HE DIES. 

When the kings who lived in Canaan heard how Joshua had 
destroyed Ai, they gathered together to make war against 
him. But the people of a city called Gibeon acted more cun- 
ningly. They did not want to make war against Joshua, for 
they knew that the Lord would give him the victory. There- 
fore they sent messengers to him who put on very old clothes 
and worn-out shoes, and carried dry and mouldy bread with 
them, to pretend they had come from another country, and had 
been a long time on the journey. And they came to Joshua in 
the camp and said to him, We have come from a country far 
off from Canaan, for we heard of your God and of all the great 
things he has done for you ; therefore all our people sent us to ask 
that you would make a covenant with them, and be their friends. 

Then Joshua and the children of Israel did not ask the Lord 
what they should do, as they ought to have asked him; they 
promised at once to be friends with the men of Gibeon. But 
after three days they heard that those men had not come from 
a far country at all, for they lived near by, in Canaan, and were 



i86 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



among the wicked nations whom the children of Israel were 
commanded to destroy. Then Joshua called the men of Gibeon 
to him, and asked them why they had deceived him. They 
answered that they were afraid for their lives, for they had heard 
how the people of Canaan were to be destroyed and their land 
given to the children of Israel. So the children of Israel did 
not put the people of Gibeon to death, because they had prom- 




THE GIBEONITES DECEIVE THE MEN OF ISRAEL 

ised, before the Lord, to let them live. But Joshua said they 
should be bondsmen, or slaves, and work for the priests and the 
Levites, in cutting the wood and carrying the water which would 
be needed at the tabernacle. 

The king of a city, called Jerusalem, was angry with the 
people of Gibeon for making friends with the children of Israel. 
Therefore he and four other kings of the land gathered their 
armies together and came to the city of Gibeon, to fight against 
it. Then the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua, saying, Come up to 
us quickly and help us, for the kings that live in the mountains 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 



187 



are gathered together against us. So Joshua and all the men of 
war went out against the five kings. Now the Lord made the 
kings and their armies afraid of the children of Israel, and they 
fled from them. As they fled, the Lord cast down great hail- 
stones upon them, out of heaven, so that more died from the 
hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword. 




JOSHUA COMMANDS THE SUN AND MOON TO STAND STILL 

But while the men of Israel followed after them, the sun was 
going down and the night was coming on. So Joshua feared that 
his enemies would escape in the darkness. Therefore he spoke 
to the sun, commanding it not to go down, and to the moon, com- 
manding it to rise no higher in the sky. And the sun stood 
still, and did not go down for many hours after the time that it 
went down on other days. So that day was longer than any 
other day. There was no day like it, either before or after it, 



188 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

when the Lord, at Joshua's prayer, made the sun and moon 
stand still that the children of Israel might keep on pursuing 
their enemies. The five kings, when their armies fled, hid in a 
cave, and it was told Joshua. Then he spoke to the people, say- 
ing, Roll great stones in the mouth of the cave, and set men by 
it to watch it, but do you go on following your enemies. 

After the battle was over and the people had come back to 
Joshua in the camp, he said to them, Open the mouth of the 
cave and bring those five kings out to me. And they did so. 
Then Joshua said to the men of Israel, Fear not, but be strong 
and brave; for as the Lord has done to these kings, so will he 
do to all your enemies against whom you shall have to fight. 
And Joshua put the five kings to death as the Lord had com- 
manded. In the evening, as the sun was going down, they took 
their dead bodies and cast them into the cave where they had 
hidden. And the men of Israel laid great stones in the cave's 
mouth again, to shut it up. 

After this, Joshua gained the victory over twenty-four more 
kings, and yet there was much land left for the men of Israel to 
take in Canaan. For these kings did not rule over whole 
countries, like the kings that are living now; they ruled over 
cities only, or small portions of the land. 

Now Joshua had grown old ; he could not any longer lead the 
men of Israel out to war as he used to do. And all the people 
came to the city of Shiloh, to set up the tabernacle. They had 
carried it, as we have been told, all the way from mount Sinai, 
taking it down when they journeyed and setting it up when they 
made their camp. But now they had come into Canaan to stay and 
journey no more. And they brought the tabernacle to Shiloh, 
which was in the middle of the land, and set it up to let it stand 
there, because that was the place the Lord had chosen for it. 

As we have read before, the men of the two and a half tribes 
who left their wives and little children in Gilead, had come over 
Jordan with the rest of the men of Israel, to help them fight 
against their enemies and take the land of Canaan. But, since 
they came over, the men of Israel had taken only a part of 
Canaan. The reason was they had grown tired of going out 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 



189 



to war, and chose rather to rest and be quiet. But the Lord 
was not pleased with them for this, for it seemed as though they 
did not care to have all that good land which he was willing to 
give them. So the Lord spoke to Joshua, and said that 
a large part of the land which he had given to the people 
was not yet taken from the Canaanites. 




CASTING LOTS FOR THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL 



Then Joshua spoke to all the people, and asked how long it 
should be before they would go out against the heathen nations 
that were still living in Canaan. And he asked them to choose 
men whom he could send out as spies. Then they chose 
twenty-one men, and Joshua sent them through that part of 
the land which the children of Israel had not yet taken. He 
told them to go and see the land, and to write down in a book 
the description of it, and afterward to come back to him in Shiloh. 



i 9 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

So the men went as Joshua told them, and walked through 
the land, and they wrote down in a book the description of it, 
and brought the book to Joshua in Shiloh. Then Joshua 
cast lots for the different tribes, so that the Lord might show 
what part of the land each tribe should have. And after 
the Lord had shown them this, Joshua told the men of Israel 
to go and drive out the heathen nations and take the land 
as their own; for Joshua promised that the Lord would help 
them. 

And the Lord told the people to choose those cities which were 
to be cities of refuge, where any person who had killed another 
by accident, might flee and be safe from punishment; and the 
people chose six cities in different parts of the land. 

We have read that the priests and Levites were not to have 
fields given them, in which to sow grain and plant vineyards, 
like the men of the other tribes, because God had chosen them 
to stay at the tabernacle and attend to his worship there. Yet 
God had said they should have cities to live in. And now the 
priests and Levites came to Joshua and the chief men of Israel, 
saying, The Lord commanded that cities should be given us. 
Then Joshua, and the people, gave them forty-eight cities in 
Canaan, where they should bring their wives and their children, 
and have their homes. 

Now the men of the two and a half tribes had stayed with 
the children of Israel ever since they crossed over Jordan, 
and had gone out to war with them against many heathen 
nations in Canaan. Therefore the men of Israel had given 
the men of the two and a half tribes a share of the cattle, of 
the gold and silver, and of all the spoils which they had taken 
from those heathen nations. In this way the men of the two and 
a half tribes had gotten much richer. And now Joshua called 
these men to him and spoke kindly to them, saying, You have 
obeyed me in all that I said to you ; for you have not let your 
brethren go out to war alone, but have stayed with them and 
helped them many days. Now, therefore, take with you all the 
riches you have gotten, and go back to your homes on the other 
side of Jordan. But be very careful after you shall come there to 



THE BOOK OF JOSHUA i 9 i 

obey all the commandments which Moses gave you, and to love and 
serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 
So Joshua sent the men of the two and a half tribes away, 
and they started to go back to their homes on the other side of 
Jordan. But when they came to the bank of the river, they 
stopped and built a great altar, shaped like the altar of burnt 
offering at the tabernacle in Shiloh. Now, as we have read, 
God had commanded the children of Israel to offer up their 
sacrifices on no other altar but that which was at the taber- 
nacle. Therefore when the men of the other tribes heard what 
the men of the two and a half tribes had done, they were angry 
and gathered together to go out to war against them. 

But first they sent Phinehas, the high priest, and ten of the 
princes with him, to go to the men of the two and a half tribes 
and ask why they had done this thing. So Phinehas and the 
princes came and spoke to them, saying, All the men of Israel 
have sent us to ask why you have built another altar to offer 
sacrifices upon, when the Lord has forbidden us to offer up 
sacrifices except on his altar at Shiloh? Do you not remem- 
ber how he sent a great plague upon us, when some of the 
people disobeyed him, and went to the idols' feasts with the 
Midianites and the Moabites? Do you not remember, also, 
how he punished us when Achan, in the city of Jericho, took 
and hid the silver and gold which the Lord had commanded 
the people not to take ? Why then will you, too, disobey the 
Lord by offering up sacrifices on his altar that you have built ? 
For if you do so, he will not only punish you, but he will surely 
send his punishment upon us all. 

Then the men of the two and a half tribes answered Phine- 
has and the ten princes, saying, The Lord our God, the Lord 
our God, he knows that we do not mean to sin against him. 
And the men of Israel shall know it too when they hear why 
we have built this altar. For we have not built it to offer up 
sacrifices on at all, but because we are afraid that after you and 
we are dead, and your children shall see our children living on 
the other side of Jordan, they will say that our children do not 
belong to the tribes of Israel, and that they shall not come to 



i 9 2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

worship in Shiloh. Therefore we have built this altar, so that 
our children may answer your children, saying, Look and see 
the pattern of the altar which our fathers built when they came 
here, how it is shaped like the altar at Shiloh. This proves that 
they belonged to the children of Israel, and that we have a right 
to come to Shiloh, and worship your God there. 

When Phinehas and the ten princes heard what the men of 
the two and a half tribes said, they went back and told it to the 
men of Israel. Then the men of Israel were glad, and they 
thanked the Lord because their brethren of the two and a half 
tribes had not disobeyed him ; and they did not want any more 
to go out to war against them. 

After these things, Joshua spoke to the people, and said that 
he was going to die. And he called them all to him, and told 
them how good the Lord had been to them, in driving out their 
enemies, and in giving them cities, and fields, and vineyards, and 
a land of their own to live in. He has done all this for you, 
Joshua said, now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him. Yet 
if you will not serve him, then you may choose for yourselves 
the idols that you would rather serve; but as for me and my 
family, we will serve the Lord. The people answered, God for- 
bid that we should leave the Lord to serve idols. Forit was he 
who brought us up out of Egypt, and gave us this land ; there- 
fore will we also serve the Lord, for he is our God. 

Then Joshua took a great stone, and set it up under an oak 
that stood by the tabernacle in Shiloh. That stone, he said, 
should be for a witness, to remind them of the promises they 
had made there to serve the Lord. When he had done talking 
with them, the people went away, every man to his own home. 
After this Joshua, the servant of the Lord, died, being a hun- 
dred and ten years old. And they buried him in the part of 
the land that had been given him for his own, on the side of the 
hill Gaash. The dead body of Joseph, which the children of 
Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, which 
was the place where Joseph went to find his brethren, when his 
father sent him out to them, wearing his coat of many colors, 
nearly three hundred years before. 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 193 

THE BOOK OF JUDGES 



CHAPTERS I-VIII (1-8) 

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WORSHIP IDOLS, AND ARE PUNISHED BY BEING 
MADE SERVANTS TO THEIR ENEMIES. GOD CHOOSES JUDGES TO RULE 
OVER THEM : OTHNIEL, EHUD, SHAMGAR, DEBORAH, AND GIDEON. 

After Joshua was dead, the men of Israel went out to war 
against the heathen nations, as he had commanded; and the 
Lord helped them, and gave them the victory. Yet they did 
not persevere until they had driven out all those nations from 
Canaan; they allowed some of them still to live in the land. 
And the Lord spoke to the children of Israel, saying, I brought 
you up out of Egypt into the land which I promised to give 
you, and I commanded you to destroy the idols of the nations 
that lived there, and never to make peace with those nations. 
But you have not obeyed me. Now, therefore, I will not any 
more drive them out from before you, but those that are left 
shall stay in the land, and they will tempt you to sin, and cause 
you great trouble. 

When the children of Israel heard these words they wept. 
Yet they soon forgot what the Lord had said, for they not only 
allowed many of the heathen to stay in Canaan, but they treated 
them as their friends. They even married among them; the 
men of Israel took heathen women for their wives, and the 
daughters of the Israelites married heathen men. Then the 
children of Israel began to worship the idols called Baal and 
Ashtaroth, that the people of Canaan worshipped. And the 
Lord was very angry with them, and sent enemies who fought 
against them and made them their servants. But when they 
repented, and asked the Lord for help, he heard them and gave 
them rulers called judges, who led them out to war against their 
enemies, and set them free. Yet as often as the Lord set them 
free, they forgot him and sinned again. So they went on sin- 
ning, and afterward repenting, for more than three hundred 
years. During that time fifteen judges ruled over them. 

The first was named Othniel ; he was Caleb's younger brother. 



13 



i 9 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

He went out to war against the king of Mesopotamia, who had 
made the children of Israel his servants for eight years. And 
God gave Othniel and the men of Israel the victory, so that they 
had to serve the king of Mesopotamia no more. And they had 
rest from war for forty years. 

But after Othniel was dead, the people sinned again. Then 
the king of Moab brought an army against them, and made 
them his servants for eighteen years. The people cried to the 
Lord for help, and the Lord made Ehud judge over them. 
He was a man of the tribe of Benjamin, and was left-handed. 
The Lord sent Ehud to set them free from the king of Moab. 
So Ehud made a dagger, and hid it under his garment on his 
right thigh. Then he came to the king of Moab's house, while 
the king was sitting in his summer parlor. And Ehud said, 
I have a secret errand from God for thee, O king. When 
all the servants had been sent out, and Ehud was left alone 
with the king, he put forth his left hand, and took the dagger 
from his right thigh, and thrust it into the king's body, and 
the king fell down dead. 

Then Ehud made haste to flee out of the house, and he shut 
the doors after him and locked them. Now the king's servants 
did not know what Ehud had done. So when they came and 
saw that the doors were shut, they said to themselves, The king 
himself has shut them because he wished to be alone; and the 
servants did not open the doors. Yet after they had waited a 
long while, and saw that the king did not open them, they took 
a key and opened the doors; and behold their master was fallen 
down dead upon the floor. But Ehud by this time had fled far 
away, so that they could not take him. 

And Ehud went to mount Ephraim, in the land of Canaan, 
and blew a trumpet to call the men of Israel. When they came 
to him, he said, Follow me, for the Lord will give you the vic- 
tory. And they followed him to the river Jordan; there they 
fought with the men of Moab and slew ten thousand of them, 
who were all brave and strong soldiers; they let not a man 
escape. So the children of Israel were set free from the Moab- 
ites: and they had rest from war for eighty years. 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 195 

After Ehud, Shamgar was judge over the people. He fought 
against their enemies, the Philistines, and the Lord helped him, 
so that, by himself alone, with nothing but an ox-goad in his 
hand, he slew six hundred men. 

And the children of Israel did evil again. Then the king of 
Canaan came against them, and made them his servants for 
twenty years. Now the Lord had chosen a woman to be judge 
over Israel at this time. Her name was Deborah; she lived in 
a house that stood under a palm tree near Bethel. And Deb- 
orah sent for a man named Barak, and told him that the Lord 
commanded him to take ten thousand of the men of Israel, and 
go to fight against Sisera, the captain of the king of Canaan's 
army. But Barak was afraid, and answered that he would not 
go unless Deborah went with him. Then Deborah said she 
would go, but that Barak should not have the praise of the 
victory, because a woman would put Sisera to death. 

So Barak took ten thousand men and went out against 
Sisera, and Deborah went with him. Sisera gathered all the 
king of Canaan's army together, his soldiers, and his war-chariots 
made of iron, nine hundred of them, and came to fight with the 
children of Israel. Then Deborah said to Barak, Up, for this 
is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into thy hand. 
So Barak with his ten thousand men, fought against Sisera, and 
the Lord gave them the victory. And Barak followed after 
Sisera's army, putting them to death with the sword ; but Sisera 
got down out of his chariot and fled away on his feet, that Barak 
might not take him. 

And he came to the tent of a woman named Jael, who was a 
friend to the children of Israel ; and he said to her, Give me a 
little water, for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk 
and gave him to drink. Again he said to her, Stand in the door 
of thy tent, and when any one comes and asks if there is a man 
here, say No. And he went into her tent to hide, and lay down 
and slept. Then Jael took a great nail of the tent, that was used 
in fastening the side of the tent to the ground, and she went softly 
to Sisera while he was sleeping, and drove the nail into his fore- 
head, so he died there. Soon afterward Barak came by, seeking 



196 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

for Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, 
Come, I will show thee the man whom thou art looking for. 
Then she took him into the tent, and there Sisera lay dead. So 
the children of Israel were set free from the king of Canaan 
that day, but Barak had not the praise of the victory, because 
Sisera, the captain of the king's army, 'was killed by the hand 
of a woman, as Deborah had said. 

After this the people had rest from war forty years. But 
when the forty years were ended, they did wickedly and dis- 
pleased God, and the Midianites came up against them and 
made them their servants and treated them very cruelly. For 
they drove the children of Israel from their cities, and their 
homes, so that they had to live in dens and caves in the moun- 
tains. The grain which they planted, after it was grown up, the 
Midianites destroyed, or carried away, till there was nothing left 
for them to eat. They took their oxen, their goats, and their 
sheep also, and the people grew very poor, and were in great 
distress because the Midianites did these things to them. Then 
they cried to the Lord to help them, as they had done before, 
but the Lord sent a prophet to tell them how wicked they had 
been. 

Now there was a man of the children of Israel named Gideon 
who was threshing wheat one day, that he might hide it from the 
Midianites. And the Lord came, in the form of an angel, 
and spoke kindly to him. Then Gideon told the Lord of the 
troubles that had come on the children of Israel because of 
the Midianites. The Lord said to him, Thou shalt set the 
children of Israel free from the Midianites. Gideon answered, 

my Lord, how shall I set Israel free? The Lord said, Surely 

1 will be with thee, and thou shalt destroy their whole army, as 
if it were but one man. 

Then Gideon said to the Lord, Stay, I pray thee, until I can 
go and bring thee an offering. The Lord answered, I will stay 
till thou comest again. So Gideon went and killed a kid and 
made it ready, and put the meat into a basket, and brought it 
out to him. The Lord told him to lay it upon a rock that 
was there, and Gideon did so. Then the Lord reached forth the 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 



197 



end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh, 
and there rose up fire out of the rock and burnt up the offer- 
ing. And the Lord went away from Gideon's sight. 

Soon the army of the Midianites came, and made their camp 
in the valley of Jezreel. Then Gideon blew a trumpet, and 
called the children of Israel to go with him and fight against 
them. He sent messengers also through different parts of the 
land, and many of the people came. 




THE ANGEL OE THE LORD APPEARS TO GIDEON 

Now Gideon asked the Lord to do a miracle for him, so that 
he might know the Lord would certainly help him, when he 
should go to fight against the Midianites. Gideon said he would 
take a fleece of wool, and leave it out on the ground all night. 
If, in the morning, it should have dew on it, and the ground all 
around it be dry, then he should know that the Lord would 
surely help him to set the children of Israel free. So Gideon 
took the fleece of wool and left it on the ground all night, as 
he had said. And he rose up early in the morning and went 



198 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



to it, and found it full of dew, so that he wrung the dew out 
of it with his hands, and filled a bowl with water; but the 
ground all around it was dry. 

Then Gideon spoke to the Lord again, and prayed that he 
would not be angry if he asked him to do one thing more. 
He said he would put the fleece out another night, and asked 




GIDEON WRINGS OUT WATER FROM THE FLEECE 



that this time it might be dry, but the ground all around 
it wet with dew. And he left the fleece of wool out another 
night, and in the morning, when he looked, it was dry, no dew 
was on it, but the ground all around it was wet with dew. So 
Gideon knew by these miracles, which the Lord had done for 
him, that the Lord would certainly help him when he should 
go out to fight against the Midianites. 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 199 

Then Gideon and all the army of Israel rose up early and 
came near the camp of the Midianites. But the Lord spoke 
to Gideon, and told him there were too many men in the army 
of Israel. For if such great numbers of them should go to the 
battle and gain the victory, they would say they had gained it 
by their own strength, and not that the Lord had gained it for 
them. The Lord commanded Gideon to tell the men in his 
army that all who felt afraid might go back to their homes. 
When Gideon told them this, twenty-two thousand went from 
the camp of Israel, and there were left ten thousand men. 

And the Lord spoke to Gideon again, saying, There are yet 
too many. Bring them down to the water, and I will shew thee 
there which of them shall go with thee to the battle. So Gideon 
brought them to the water. Now all the men were thirsty and 
began to drink. But they drank in different ways — some lifting 
the water in their hands to their mouths, and some stooping 
down and putting their mouths into the water. Then the Lord 
commanded Gideon to put those who drank out of their hands 
apart, by themselves ; and when he had done so there were three 
hundred of them. It was the Lord who made them drink in 
this way, so that they might be separated from the others; for 
now he told Gideon that only these three hundred men should 
go with him to the battle. 

That same night the Lord commanded Gideon to arise and go 
with his three hundred men against the Midianites; for, he said, 
he would give him the victory. But if Gideon were afraid to go 
with so few, then, the Lord told him, to go first with his servant, 
alone, near their camp, not to fight against them, but in the dark 
where they could not see him, that he might listen and hear what 
they said. And the Lord promised that after Gideon had done 
this, he should feel no more fear, but would be willing to go 
and fight against them. 

Now the Midianites lay along in the valley like grasshoppers 
— there were so many of them — and their camels no one could 
number. And Gideon went down with his servant alone, in the 
night, and came near to their camp, and heard two of them 
talking together. One was telling the other of a dream he had 



200 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



dreamed. He said, I saw in my dream a loaf of barley bread 
come tumbling into our camp, and it struck against a tent and 
threw it down, so that the tent lay flat upon the ground. And 
the man who heard him answered, saying, That loaf of bread 
means the sword of Gideon; for the Lord is going to give all 
our host into his hand. 

When Gideon heard this, he went back to the three hundred 




GIDEON FIGHTING AGAINST THE MIDIANITES 

men, and told them to rise up and come, for the Lord would give 
them the victory. Then he set them in three different companies, 
and put a trumpet in every man's hand, and a pitcher, with a 
lighted lamp inside of the pitcher. And he told them that 
when they should come near to the camp of the Midianites, they 
must look at him and do as he did. When he should blow with 
his trumpet, they must all blow, and cry out, The sword of the 
Lord and of Gideon. 

So he came with the three hundred men near to the camp of 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 201 

the Midianites in the middle of the night. Then suddenly they 
all blew with the trumpets, and broke the pitchers that were in 
their hands, and cried aloud, The sword of the Lord and of 
Gideon. When the Midianites heard the noise, and saw the 
burning lamps that had before been hidden in the pitchers, they 
cried out with fear and fled. For the Lord made them afraid 
of the men of Israel, and afraid of each other also, so that they 
fought among themselves all through their host. 

And Gideon followed them to the river Jordan, and passed 
over the river after the two kings of the Midianites, who fled 
before him with fifteen thousand men — all that were left of 
their great army. Gideon and his three hundred men came up 
with them, and gained the victory over them, and took the two 
kings captives. So the Midianites were driven out of Canaan, 
and the children of Israel had to serve them no longer. 

Gideon was judge over the people forty years. God gave 
him many sons, and he lived to be an old man. And he died, 
and was buried in his father's sepulchre. 



CHAPTERS VIII-XII (8-12) 

ABIMELECH IS MADE KING AT SHECHEMI HE IS SLAIN. TOLA AND JAIR 
ARE MADE JUDGES: AFTER THEM JEPHTHAH, IBZAN, ELON, AND ABDON. 
JEPHTHAH IS MADE CAPTAIN OVER THE ARMY OF ISRAEL. HIS VOW. 
HE FIGHTS AGAINST THE AMMONITES AND SETS THE PEOPLE FREE. 

As soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel forgot 
how kind the Lord had been to them, in setting them free 
from the Midianites, and they turned away from him, to worship 
the idol Baal. Then Abimelech, Gideon's son, went to the 
city of Shechem, where the people had set up an image of 
Baal, and he asked them to make him their king; they did 
as he asked them and made him their king. They also gave 
him seventy pieces of silver out of their idol's temple; with 
these he hired wicked men, to go with him and help him in 
making himself king over all the rest of the people. And he 
went to the house where his father Gideon had lived, and killed 
all of his brothers except the youngest, who fled from him. 



202 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Abimelech did this because he was afraid that his brothers 
might be made rulers over the people instead of himself. And 
the men of Shechem helped him in slaying his brethren. 

But after Abimelech had been king for three years, God sent 
trouble upon him and the people of Shechem. The Bible tells 
us that he sent an evil spirit between ttiem. Then instead of 
being friends any longer, and helping each other, they became 
enemies and hated one another. And when Abimelech had 
gone away from the city, the people set men to watch for him, 
as he should come back, that they might kill him. 

But the governor of the city, who was Abimelech's friend, 
sent word to him secretly, saying, The people of Shechem have 
rebelled against thee. Now, therefore, come up in the night, 
thou and the men who are with thee, and hide out in the field 
until morning. Then as soon as the sun has risen up, thou shalt 
bring thy men before the city, and when the people come out 
against thee, thou shalt do to them whatsoever thou thinkest 
best. So Abimelech did as the governor said. He brought his 
men up in the night, and hid them in the fields near the city. 
In the morning the people saw him and came out against him, 
and he fought with them, and chased them back to the gate of 
the city, killing many of them. 

The next day they came out again. And Abimelech divided 
his men into three companies, and hid them in the field. As 
soon as the men of Shechem had come a good way from the gate 
of the city, one of the companies made haste to the gate and 
stood before it, so that the men of Shechem could not flee back 
into the city. And the two other companies ran upon them 
out in the field, and slew them. Then Abimelech and his men 
went into the city, and fought against it all that day; and he 
slew the people, and broke down the houses, and destroyed the 

city. 

But some of the men of Shechem who escaped fled to the 
temple of their idol, and shut themselves in, where Abimelech 
could not reach them. Then he went up on a mountain, where 
wood was growing, and, taking an axe in his hand, he cut down 
the branch of a tree, and laid it on his shoulder, saying to his 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 



203 



men, Make haste, each of you, and do as I have done. So every 
man cut down a branch. Then they followed Abimelech to the 
idol's house, and piled up the branches against the door and 
set them on fire. And the house was burned, and all the men 
who had shut themselves in there were burned up with it. 

And Abimelech went to another city, named Thebez, and 
fought against it and took it. After it was taken, the men 




DEATH OF ABIMELECH 



and women of the city fled into a strong tower, and shut the 
door, and went up to the top of the tower. Then Abimelech 
came near the door to burn the tower, as he had burned the 
idol's house in Shechem. But a woman, who was on the top of 
the tower, threw down a piece of a mill-stone upon his head and 
broke his skull. When he knew that he must die, he called one 
of his young men and said to him, Draw thy sword and slay me, 
that the people may not say I was slain by a woman. For, be- 
cause Abimelech was a man of war, and soldier, he was ashamed 



2o 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

to have it said that a woman had put him to death. Then the 
young man drew his sword, and thrust it through Abimelech's 
body and killed him. So God brought punishment on him for 
slaying his brethren, and on the people of Shechem, also, for 
helping him to do that great sin. 

After Abimelech was dead, Tola, a man of the tribe of Issa- 
char, was judge over the children of Israel. The Bible tells us 
nothing about him, or about the things that he did, except that 
he was judge for twenty-three years; and that he died and 
was buried in the city of Shamir, on mount Ephraim, where 
his home had been. 

Then Jair, a man of Israel, who lived in the land of Gilead, 
where the two and a half tribes lived, was judge over the people 
for twenty-two years. He had thirty sons that rode on thirty 
colts, and each one of them was governor over a city in Gilead. 
And Jair died; and was buried in the city of Camon. 

And the children of Israel did evil again, for they turned 
away from serving the Lord to serve Baal and Ashtaroth, the 
idols their fathers had worshipped. Then the Philistines and 
the Ammonites made war against them, and the Lord did not 
help the children of Israel. Therefore their enemies got the 
mastery over them, and made them their servants for eighteen 

years. 

In their trouble they cried to the Lord for help ; but he an- 
swered that he had often before set them free from their ene- 
mies, yet afterward they had left him to serve their idols. Now 
therefore, he said, they might go to the idols they had chosen, 
and ask them for help. But the children of Israel still cried 
to the Lord, confessing their sins, and telling him to punish 
them in any way he saw best ; only they begged that he would 
set them free from the enemies who were then ruling over them. 
They put away the idols they had worshipped, and served the 
Lord again; and he pitied them in their sufferings. 

And the Ammonites gathered together, and made their camp 
in the land of Gilead, on the other side of Jordan. The children 
of Israel had their camp at a place called Mizpeh; and they 
wanted a captain for their army, and said, Who is the man that 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 205 

will lead us out to fight against the Ammonites ? He shall be 
ruler over all the people of Gilead. 

Now there was a man of the children of Israel named Jeph- 
thah. He was a great and brave soldier, yet the men of Israel 
had been unkind to him, so that he fled from the land of Gilead, 
where his home was, and went to live in the land of Tob. But 
when the people wanted a man to lead them out to war against 
their enemies, they remembered Jephthah; and the elders went 
to him in the land of Tob, and said, Come and be our captain, 
that we may fight against the Ammonites. . Jephthah answered, 
Did you not hate me and send me away? Why then are you 
come to me now, when you are in trouble? The elders told 
him they had come that he should go with them to fight against 
the Ammonites, and be ruler over all the people of Gilead. 
Jephthah asked them whether, if he should go, and the Lord 
should give him the victory, they would indeed make him ruler 
over all the people. The elders promised, before the Lord, that 
they would. 

So Jephthah went with them, and the people made him 
their captain. Then he sent messengers to the king of the Am- 
monites, asking him why he had come to fight against the chil- 
dren of Israel. The king answered that it was because they had 
taken away his land when they came up out of Egypt. Now, 
therefore, the king said, give me back my land. But Jeph- 
thah sent messengers again, saying that the land which they 
had taken was given to them by the Lord, and that whatever 
land the Lord gave them they would keep for their own. The 
children of Israel had done no wrong to the Ammonites, Jeph- 
thah said, but the Ammonites did wrong to the children of 
Israel in making war against them. 

Yet the king of the Ammonites would not listen to his words. 
And Jephthah came, with the men of Israel, to the place where 
the Ammonites had their camp. And before the battle, he made 
a vow or promise, that if the Lord would give him the victory, 
he would offer up, as a burnt offering, whatever should come 
out of his door to meet him, when he went back to his own 
home. Jephthah did wrong in making such a vow, for he could 



206 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



not tell what might come out of his door to meet him; yet he 
made this vow to the Lord. Afterward he went and fought 
against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him the victory, so 
that the children of Israel were set free from them. 

When the battle was over, Jephthah returned to his home, 
and as he went toward his house, his daughter came out with 
music and dancing, to meet him, being full of joy at seeing her 
father, for she was his only child. But when he saw her he was 




JEPHTHAH MEETS HIS DAUGHTER 

greatly troubled, and rent his clothes, and told her of the vow he 
had made. Then she answered, My father, if thou hast made a 
vow to the Lord, do to me as thou hast said. But Jephthah 
should not have kept the vow which it was wrong in him to 
make. God had commanded the Israelites to offer up oxen, and 
goats, and lambs as burnt offerings, not their children. The 
heathen nations offered their children to idols, and were punished 
for doing it. Jephthah should have repented of his vow, and 
asked forgiveness for making it. But the Bible tells us that he 
took his daughter, and did with her as he had promised ; and all 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 207 

the young women of Israel mourned for her. Jephthah was 
judge over the people for six years; and he died and was buried 
in one of the cities of the land of Gilead. 

After Jephthah was dead, Ibzan was chosen judge, and he 
ruled over the people seven years. After him, Elon was judge 
for ten years; and after Elon died, Abdon was chosen judge for 
eight years. Of these three judges the Bible tells us very little, 
except how long they ruled, and that they died and were buried. 



CHAPTERS XIII-XVI (13-16) 

THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SIN AGAIN AND ARE MADE SERVANTS TO THE 
PHILISTINES. SAMSON IS BORN. HE FIGHTS AGAINST THE PHILISTINES 
AND IS TAKEN CAPTIVE. HIS DEATH. 

After these things, the children of Israel sinned again and 
displeased the Lord, and the Philistines came out against 
them and made them their servants for forty years. 

There was at that time a man of Israel named Manoah. Both 
he and his wife feared the Lord; and they had no child. And 
the angel of the Lord spoke to the woman, and told her they 
should have a son, and that he should be a Nazarite to God: 
this meant that he should be set apart for God, to serve him. 
He was never to drink wine, and his parents were to let his hair 
grow without ever cutting it, because persons who were Naza- 
rites drank no wine, neither did they cut their hair as others did, 
for so the Lord commanded them. And the angel said that 
Manoah's son should be a Nazarite, and that he should be the 
one who would begin to set the children of Israel free from the 
Philistines. 

Then the woman came and told her husband that a man of 
God, or prophet, had spoken to her, for she did not know it was 
an angel. Yet, she said, his face was like the face of an angel, 
but I did not ask him from where he had come, neither did he 
tell me. When Manoah heard what his wife said, he prayed, 
saying, O Lord, let the man of God whom thou didst send, come 
again unto us, and teach us, what we shall do to the child that 
shall be born. 



2o8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And the Lord heard Manoah's prayer, and the angel came 
again to the woman as she sat in the field, but her husband was 
not with her. Then she made haste and ran to her husband, and 
told him that the man had come who came to her die other day. 
And Manoah rose up and went with his wife, and when he came 
to the man, he said to him, Art thou the'man of God that spoke 
to the woman? He said, I am. And Manoah said, How shall 
we do to the child which thou hast promised us? The angel 
answered, All that I commanded thy wife when I came to her 
before, let her be careful to obey. 

And Manoah begged the angel to stay till they should make 
ready some food for him; for they did not know that it was 
an angel. But the angel said, Though thou keep me, I will not 
eat of thy food. And Manoah said, Tell us thy name, so that 
when what thou sayest shall come true, we may know whom to 
honor. The angel answered, Why askest thou after my name, 
seeing it is secret ? And Manoah took a kid and offered it upon 
a rock, as a burnt offering. Then the angel did a wonderful 
thing, for while the fire was burning on the rock, as the flame 
went up toward heaven, the angel of the Lord went up in the 
flame ; and Manoah and his wife saw it, and they bowed down 
with their faces to the ground. 

And Manoah said, We have seen God : and he was afraid, for 
he believed that this angel was the Lord ; the same that came to 
Gideon while he was threshing wheat, and told him he should 
set the children of Israel free from the Midianites. Manoah 
said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. 
But his wife said to him, If the Lord had intended to kill us, 
he would not have allowed us to offer up the burnt offering, nor 
told us that we should have a son. 

After these things, God gave to Manoah and his wife the son 
he had promised them, and they called his name Samson; and 
the child grew, and the Lord was kind to him and blessed him. 
When Samson was grown up, he went to a city called Timnath 
and saw there the daughter of a man who was a Philistine. 
And he was pleased with her, and came back to his home and 
said to his father and mother, I have seen a woman in Timnath 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 



209 



who is the daughter of a Philistine. Now, therefore, get her 
for me, that she may be my wife. Then his father and mother 
asked him if there was not a woman among the children of 
Israel whom he would take for his wife instead of this one, who 
was the daughter of a Philistine; for the Philistines were ene- 
mies to the Israelites. But Samson was not willing to give 




SAMSON KILLS THE LION 



-*d 



her up: he said to his father, Get her for me, for she pleases 
me well. 

So his father and mother went with him to Timnath, and they 
came to the vineyards which were in that country. And a young 
lion met Samson and roared at him; and the Lord gave him 
strength to kill the lion as easily as if it had been a kid. He 
did this with his hands alone, for he had no sword nor spear to 
fight the lion with. Then Samson saw the young woman at 
Timnath and talked with her, and still she pleased him well. 

And he went to Timnath again, to marry her. On the way 
he came to the place where he had killed the lion, and he turned 
14 



2IO 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



aside to look at its dead body; a swarm of bees had come into 
it, and made honey there. And he took some of the honey in 
his hands, and as he walked did eat of it. Afterward he gave 
some to his father and mother, but did not tell them that he 
had taken it out of the dead body of the lion. 

Samson made a feast at Timnath,. for so the young men, 
when they were married, used to do. The feast lasted seven 
days, and thirty of the Philistines came to it. Then Samson 
said he would give them a riddle, that they might find out what 
it meant and tell him. If they should do so before the seven 
days of the feast were ended, he promised to give them thirty 
suits of raiment, or clothing. But if they could not find out 
his riddle, they were to give thirty suits to him. The Philis- 
tines agreed to this, and asked him to tell them his riddle. 

So Samson told it to them, and these were the words of it: 
Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came 
forth sweetness. It meant, Out of the strong lion that was ready 
to eat Samson, Samson had taken sweet honey for himself to eat. 
But he did not tell the Philistines what it meant; and they 
tried for three days, to find out for themselves, but could not. 
Then they were angry; and on the seventh day they came to 
his wife, and told her that they would burn her and her father's 
house with fire, unless she helped them to find the riddle. 

So she persuaded her husband to tell her, and wept before 
him saying that he did not love her, but hated her, because he 
had 'given the riddle to her friends, yet had not told her what it 
meant But Samson answered, I have not told my father or my 
mother, and shall I tell thee ? Still, she wept before him all the 
time that was left of the feast, and at last he told her because 
she troubled him. When he had told her, she told the Philis- 
tines Then they came to Samson on the seventh day, just 
before the end of the feast, and pretended they had themselves 
found out his riddle. They said, What is sweeter than honey 
and what is stronger than a lion? But Samson knew that his 

wife had told them. 

And now the time was come when Samson should begin to 
punish the Philistines for their cruelty to the children of Israel. 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 211 

The Lord had said that he was the one who should begin to 
set the children of Israel free. This was the reason why the 
Lord had made him so strong that he could tear the young 
lion as if it had been a kid. And Samson went down to a 
city of the Philistines called Ashkelon; there he slew thirty 
men, and took from them thirty suits of raiment, which he 
brought and gave to those who had told him his riddle. Then 
he went back to his own home, but his wife stayed with her 
father in Timnath. 

At the time of wheat harvest, Samson came to Timnath to 
visit his wife, and to bring her a kid. But when he had come 
to the house, her father would not let him go in, and told him 
that she could be his wife no longer, for she was given to be the 
wife of another man. Then Samson was very angry, and he 
went and caught three hundred foxes, and tied fire-brands, or 
pieces of blazing wood, to their tails, and let them loose in the 
fields and vineyards of the Philistines. There they set fire to the 
grain, so that it was burned up, both that which had been cut 
and piled in shocks, and that which was still growing in the 
field. The grape-vines and the olive-trees were burned also. 
And the Philistines said, Who has done this ? When they knew 
that it was Samson, they took his wife and her father and 
burned them with fire. Then Samson fought against the Phil- 
istines, and slew many of them. Afterward he went on to the 
top of a rock called Etam, and stayed there. 

Then the Philistines came up to take him, and made their 
camp in the land of Israel. And the men of Israel said to 
them, Why are you come up against us? They answered, To 
bind Samson, that we may do to him as he has done to us. 
And three thousand men of the children of Israel went to the 
top of the rock Etam, where Samson was, and said to him, 
Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us ? Why 
hast thou done these things? Samson answered, Because they 
have done evil to me, I have done evil to them. Then the men 
of Israel told him they had come to bind him, that they might 
give him to the Philistines. Samson asked them whether they 
would promise not to put him to death, if he should let them 



212 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

bind him. They answered, W.e will not put thee to death, but 
will bind thee fast and give thee to the Philistines. 

So Samson let them bind him with two new cords, and they 
took him- to bring him to the Philistines' camp. As he came 
near to it, the Philistines saw him and were glad, and they 
shouted against him. But the Lord gave him such strength that 
he broke the cords off from him, as easily as if they had been 
burned by fire. And Samson found the jaw-bone of an ass, and 
took it in his hand, and with it fought against the Philistines 
and slew a thousand men. Then he said, With the jaw-bone of 
an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a 
thousand men; and he threw away the bone out of his hand. 
Afterward he was thirsty, and grew weak because he had no 
water to drink. Then he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord 
opened a spring in that place, from which water flowed out, and 
when he had drunk of it, his strength came to him again. 

And he came to a city called Gaza, and went into a house 
there. Now the Philistines lived in Gaza, and when they heard 
that Samson had come, they shut the gates of the city, and 
watched by them all night, to take him as he should go out 
again. They said, In the morning we shall kill him. But in 
the middle of the night he rose up and came to the gates, and 
when he found them shut, he dragged up thelwo posts to which 
the gates were fastened, and took the posts, and the two great 
gates, and the bar which went across them on the inside, to keep 
them shut, and put them all upon his shoulders, and carried 
them a good way off to the top of a hill. 

We have read that Samson was a Nazarite, and that persons 
who were Nazarites were commanded not to cut their hair. Sam- 
son's hair had never been cut, and had grown thick and long. 
He was commanded never to cut it, because the Lord had 
chosen him to be a Nazarite as long as he lived. 

Now there was in that land a woman named Delilah, and 
Samson used to go to her house. When the lords of the Philis- 
tines knew of it, they came to her and promised to give her 
eleven hundred pieces of silver, if she would find out for them 
how they might bind Samson, and make him their captive, so 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 



213 



that they could do with him as they pleased. Therefore, when 
Samson came to Delilah's house, she begged him to tell her 
what made him so strong, and how he might be bound so that 
he would not be able to break loose again. 




SAMSON CARRYING AWAY THE GATES OF GAZA 

Samson should have given her no answer to these questions. 
But instead of this he told her an untruth. He said that if he 
were bound with seven green withes— that is, cords made out of 
twigs, or thin branches of trees, twisted together— he would not 
be able to break them, but would be as helpless as any other 
man. Then Delilah told the lords of the Philistines, and they 
brought her seven green withes, and Samson let her bind him 



2i 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

with them. Now she had men hidden in the room to take him 
if he could not break them. So when she had bound him, she 
cried out, The Philistines are coming to take thee, Samson. She 
did this to try whether he could break the green withes or not. 
And as soon as she had spoken these words, he broke them as 
easily as if they were so many threads. t 

Then Delilah said to him that he had mocked her and told 
her lies, and she begged him again to tell her how he might be 
bound. Samson answered, that if he were bound with two new 
ropes which had never been used, he would not be able to break 
loose again. So she took two new ropes and bound him, having 
men hidden in the room this time also ; and after she had bound 
him she cried, as she did before, that the Philistines were com- 
ing to take him. But he broke the new ropes from off his arms 
as easily as he had broken the green withes. 

And Delilah told him again that he spoke lies to her, and 
she begged, him to tell her how he might be bound. Samson 
said that if she would weave, or plait, his long hair in a certain 
way his great strength would go from him, so that they could do 
with him as they chose. Then she plaited his hair, and fastened 
it as he had told her, and she cried out again that the Philistines 
were coming to take him. But when he heard these words, he 
rose up and went away, as strong as ever. 

Then she said to him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when 
thou hast mocked me these three times ? And she begged him 
every day to tell her, and would let him have no rest, but trou- 
bled him with her words until at last he told her the truth. He 
said that he had been a Nazarite ever since he was born; that 
his hair had never been cut, and that if it were shaven off from 
his head, he would be strong no longer, but as weak as other 
men. Why did Samson tell her this, and teach her how to take 
away the strength which the Lord had given him that he might 
fight against the enemies of the children of Israel ? ^ He did it 
because he had chosen a wicked woman for his friend, and, 
when she tempted him, he listened to her words until she per- 
suaded him to do this great sin against God. 

And now Delilah saw that he had not deceived her. So 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 



215 



she sent word to the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come but 
once more, for this time he has told me the truth; and they 
came to her, and brought the money they had promised. Then, 
while Samson was asleep, she called a man to shave the hair 
from his head ; and after it was done, she cried out that the Phil- 
istines were coming to take him. And he woke from his sleep, 
and said he would go out against them, as he used to do when 




SAMSON IS TAKEN BY THE PHILISTINES 

she spoke these words to him before. He did not know that the 
Lord had taken away his great strength from him. Then the 
Philistines took him, for he could no longer fight against them, 
and they bound him with chains made of brass. And they put 
out his eyes, and shut him up in prison: there they made him 
work very hard, in turning a mill-stone to grind their corn. 

And now, while he was shut up in prison, no doubt Samson 
repented of his sin, and prayed to the Lord whose command he 





SAMSON IN PRISON 



2l6 



THE BOOK OF JUDGES 217 

had disobeyed. And after a while, as his hair grew long again, 
the Lord gave him back his strength. But the Philistines did 
not know this. 

One day the lords of the Philistines called the people together 
in their idol's house, to offer up a sacrifice to their idol, whose 
name was Dagon, and to rejoice because Samson was taken. 
The people came, and praised their idol, and thought it was 
he who had helped them to take Samson and make him their 
captive. They said: Our god has delivered into our hands our 
enemy, and the destroyer of our country, who slew many of us. 
And they were all pleased and merry. Then they said, Send 
for Samson, that he may make sport for us. So they sent for 
him, and brought poor, blind Samson out of the prison, and 
made sport of him, and set him between two pillars in the 
house of their idol. 

Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords 
of the Philistines were there. On the roof also were great num- 
bers of the people, who looked down to see Samson, while those 
who were in the house mocked him, and made sport of him. 
A boy held him by the hand, to lead him, because he could not 
see. And Samson asked the boy to let him feel the pillars 
which held up the house, that he might lean against them. And 
the boy guided him, so that he could feel the pillars as he 
stood between them. 

Then Samson prayed, saying, O Lord, remember me, I pray 
thee, and give me strength only this once. And he put his arms 
around the pillars, one around one pillar and the other around 
the other pillar; and he said, Let me die with the Philistines. 
And -he bent down and pulled the pillars together with all his 
might, till they were moved from their places, and the house fell 
upon the lords of the Philistines, and upon all the people, killing 
great numbers of them. And Samson died with them, but the 
Lord helped him, so that in his death he slew more of the 
enemies of the children of Israel than he had slain in his life. 
And his brethren came and took his dead body and buried it in 
his father's sepulchre. Samson was judge over the people for 
twenty years. 



218 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



THE BOOK OF RUTH 



ELIMELECH AND HIS FAMILY GO FROM BETHLEHEM INTO THE LAND OF MOAB. 
ELIMELECH AND HIS TWO SONS DIE THERE, AND NAOMI COMES BACK 
WITH RUTH TO BETHLEHEM. BOAZ MARRIES RUTH. 

In the days when the judges ruled over Israel, there was a 
famine in Canaan. And a man of the children of Israel who 
lived in the city of Bethlehem, went to stay for a while in the 
land of Moab; he and his wife and their two sons. The man's 
name was Elimelech, and his wife's name Naomi. After they 
had come into Moab, the man died, but his sons took wives 
of the women of Moab, and lived for about ten years. Then 
they died also, and their mother, Naomi, was left alone with her 
two daughters-in-law^. 

And Naomi heard that the famine was over in Canaan, and 
that the Lord had given the people food again ; so she rose up to 
leave the land of Moab, and go back to the city of Bethlehem. 

Then she spoke to her daughters-in-law, and asked if they 
would not rather stay in Moab, which was their own land, where 
they were born, and where their relations lived. 

When her daughters-in-law heard what she said, they were 
troubled and wept; and one of them, named Orpah, kissed 
Naomi, and bade her farewell, and went away to her own home; 
but the other, whose name was Ruth, would not leave her. Ruth 
told Naomi not to ask that she should leave her, or go back from 
following after her. Where thou goest, she said, I will go, and 
where thou livest, I will live; thy friends shall be my friends, 
and thy God, my God; where thou diest I will die, and there 
will I be buried. And Ruth asked the Lord to punish her, if 
she ever left Naomi as long as they both should live. When 
Naomi saw how much Ruth loved her, and wanted to go with 
her, she did not speak to her any more about staying in the 
land of Moab. 

And they came into Canaan, to the city of Bethlehem, where 
Naomi used to live. The people remembered her, and all of 
them spoke about her coming, and said, Is this Naomi? But 



COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY W. A. FOSTER 




SAMSON BREAKS DOWN THE PILLARS 



THE BOOK OF RUTH 



219 



she was very sorrowful, and answered, Call me not Naomi, which 
means pleasant; but call me Mara, which means bitter; be- 
cause the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me. She meant 
that the Lord had sent her great trouble. For when she went 
away from Bethlehem, so many years before, her husband and 
her two sons were with her; but now, when she came back, 
they were all dead. It was in the beginning. of the barley 




NAOMI AND HER DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW 



harvest, when the people were cutting their grain, that Ruth 
and Naomi came to Bethlehem. 

Naomi had a kinsman, or relation, at Bethlehem, named 
Boaz, who was a rich and great man. And Ruth said to 
Naomi, Let me go now out to the field, and glean ears of corn. 
To glean in the field was to pick up the grain that the reapers 
had left. Only poor people gleaned, who had no fields of their 
own. It was not much they could gather, yet the men who 
were reaping always left a little for them, because the Lord 
had commanded the reapers not to take away all, but to leave 



220 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



a little for the poor. And Ruth and Naomi were poor. There- 
fore Ruth asked her mother-in-law to let her go and glean in 
some field where the man would give her permission to do it. 
And Naomi said to her, Go, my daughter. Then she went and 
happened to come into the field that belonged to Boaz, and 
there she gleaned after the reapers. 

And Boaz came out to the field and spoke to his reapers, and 
said to them, The Lord be with you. They answered him, The 




RUTH GLEANS IN THE FIELD OF BOAZ 



Lord bless thee. And he asked his chief servant, that was set 
over the reapers, Whose young woman is this? The servant 
answered, It is the young woman that came with Naomi out 
of the land of Moab; she said to us, I pray you let me glean 
after the reapers ; and we allowed her to do it. So she came into 
the field, and hath kept on gleaning from the morning until now. 
Then Boaz spoke kindly to Ruth, and told her not to go into 
any other man's field, but to glean in his, for he had commanded 
his young men to do her no harm. When she was thirsty, he 



THE BOOK OF RUTH 



221 



said, she should go to the pitchers which the young men had 
filled, and drink what she wanted. And Ruth bowed down to 
the* ground before Boaz, and asked him why he was so kind 
as to take notice of her, who was only a stranger. Then Boaz 
answered that he had been told of all her kindness to her 
mother-in-law ; how she had left her father and her mother and 
the land where she was born, and had come to live among 
the' children of Israel. He asked that God might reward her, 
because she had done these things, and had left the land of 
Moab, where the people worshipped idols, to come into Canaan 
and serve the Lord. 

And Boaz told her to come at meal-time, and eat and drink 
with the reapers. So she did as he said; she sat beside them, 
and Boaz reached her parched corn, and she ate and had 
enough, and afterward went out in the field again. And Boaz 
commanded his young men to let her glean, even among the 
sheaves that they had bound up for him; he said, also, Let 
fall some handfuls on purpose for her, that she may take them, 
and do not find fault with her. 

So she gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out the 
grains of barley that she had gathered, and took them and 
went into Bethlehem. When her mother-in-law saw how much 
Ruth brought, she was glad, and asked the Lord to bless the 
man who had been so kind to her. And she asked her who the 
man was. Ruth said, The man's name is Boaz. Then Naomi 
told her he was a near kinsman to them. And Ruth said 
he had asked her to come again into his field and glean after 
the reapers, and to do so until they had ended all of his harvest. 
Naomi told her to do as Boaz said. So she went out into his 
field, and gleaned there until the end of the barley harvest and 
of the wheat harvest. 

And Naomi said to Ruth, Boaz winnoweth barley to-night in 
the threshing floor. Barley is a grain something like wheat. 
To thresh it was to separate it from the long straw on which it 
grew. To winnow it was to separate it again from the small, 
broken pieces of straw which were left mixed with it after the 
threshing. These pieces could not be picked out with the hands, 



222 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



there were too many of them ; but the reapers used to throw the 
grain and the small pieces of straw together, up in the air, while 
the wind was blowing. Then the wind would blow away 'the 
straw, because it was so light, but the grains of barley, being 
heavier, would fall down by themselves in aheap on the ground. 
A threshing floor was the smooth, level piece of ground where 
these things were done. Naomi had heard that Boaz was to 
winnow his barley that night, and she asked Ruth to wash and 
dress herself, and go to the threshing floor, and speak to Boaz 
the words which she told her. 

So Ruth did as her mother-in-law said. She washed and 
dressed herself, and went to the threshing floor: and Boaz win- 
nowed his barley, and then had a feast. After he had eaten 
and drunk, and had enough, she came near to him, and spoke to 
him, saying, Thou art our near kinsman: and she asked him to 
be kind to her. He answered, May the Lord bless thee, my 
daughter. Then he told her not to fear; he would do for her 
all that she needed, because all the people of Bethlehem knew 
that she was a virtuous and good woman. And he said to her, 
Bring here thy veil and hold it out. And when she brought 
it, he poured into it six measures of barley. Ruth carried it 
into Bethlehem, to Naomi, and told her of all that Boaz had 
done, saying, These six measures of barley he gave me, for he 
said,' Go not away without taking something with thee for thy 
mother-in-law. Then Naomi told Ruth to wait and be patient, 
until she should see what else Boaz would do. 

We have read that the cities of Canaan had walls around 
them with gates. Now it was at the gates that the people used 
to meet together. Whoever came into the city, or went out of 
it, passed through them. That was the place where the rulers 
came to hold their court, and try those who had disobeyed the 
laws, and to say what their punishment must be. Persons also 
bought and sold things at the gate, making a kind of market 
there. So that when any man wanted all the people to know of 
something he was going to do, he would go and speak about it 
at the gate, because there he found more of them gathered 
together than anywhere else. 



THE. BOOK OF JOB 223 

The next day after Boaz had winnowed his barley, he went to 
the gate of Bethlehem, and sat down in a seat there. And he 
called to him ten of the elders, or principal men, of the city, and 
said to them, Sit down here; and they sat down. Then Boaz 
spoke to them, and to all the people, and told them that he was 
going to take Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, to be his 
wife. And he said to the elders, and to all the people, You are 
the witnesses: that is, you are the persons to whom I tell it, that 
you may know it yourselves and tell others also. And all the 
people and the elders answered, We are the witnesses. And they 
prayed that the Lord would bless Ruth, and make Boaz still 
richer and greater than he was then. 

So Boaz took Ruth and she was his wife. Naomi was glad 
for her daughter-in-law, who had loved her, and come with her 
out of the land of Moab into Canaan, to live with the children 
of Israel and serve the Lord. After awhile the Lord gave 
Boaz and Ruth a son. Naomi took the child and laid it on 
her bosom, and nursed.it for them. And they named 'the little 
boy Obed. 

THE BOOK OF JOB 



job's goodness and riches, afflictions are sent upon him. his 
friends' unkindness. job complains of his sufferings, god 

SPEAKS TO HIM AND GIVES HIM GREATER BLESSINGS THAN HE HAD 
BEFORE HE WAS AFFLICTED. 

There was a man in the land of Uz named Job, who feared 
God, and was careful to do no evil. And God gave him seven 
sons and three daughters. He gave Job great riches also; 
for he had three thousand camels, seven thousand sheep, a 
thousand oxen, five hundred asses, and many men-servants and 
maid-servants, so that he was the greatest of all the men in that 
part of the world where he lived. 

His sons, who were grown up, and had homes of their own, 
used to feast together, taking turns at each other's houses, and 
inviting their three sisters to come and eat and drink with 
them. When their feasts were over, Job always sent and told 



224 THE STORY OF THE BIBEE 

them, if they had done anything wrong, to repent of it ; then 
he offered up burnt offerings for each of them, because he 
feared they might have sinned and displeased God. 

But after Job had enjoyed his blessings for many years, God 
sent trouble upon him, to try whether he would bear it patiently 
and be willing that his heavenly Father should do to him what 
he thought best. Therefore God allowed his riches and his 
children to be taken from him. For there came to him one 




■B. 



JOB RECEIVING EVIL TIDINGS 

day a messenger, saying, While thy oxen were ploughing in 
the field and the asses were feeding beside them, a band of rob- 
bers drove them all away, and slew thy servants who were with 
them, and I am the only one left to tell thee. 

While this servant was speaking, there came another, who 
said, A great fire has fallen from the sky and burnt up thy 
sheep and the servants who were taking care of them, and 1 
alone am left to tell thee, mile he was yet speaking, another 
came, and said, Some enemies have taken thy camels, and killed 



THE BOOK OF JOB 225 

thy servants who were keeping them, and I only am left to tell 
thee. While he was speaking, there came also another, and 
said, Thy sons and thy daughters were feasting in their eldest 
brother's house, when there came a great wind from the wilder- 
ness that broke down the house ; so that it fell on the young men 
and they are dead, and I only am left to tell thee. 

When Job heard these things, he rent his clothes and bowed 
down to the earth and worshipped, saying, I had nothing of my 
own, when I was born as a little child into the world, and I 
shall have nothing when I die and go out of it. It was God 
who gave me my children and my riches, and it is God who 
has taken them away again. He knows what is best for me, 
and I thank him for all he has done. So Job did not sin nor 
speak wickedly of God, although his grief was so great and 
had come so suddenly upon him. 

After this, to try Job still more, God sent him sickness and 
pain. Sore boils came on him and covered him, from his feet 
to his head, and he sat down on the ground in great distress. 
Then his wife, being angry because God sent him such suffering, 
came to Job, and said, Dost thou still trust in God ? Do so no 
more, but speak against him and wish him evil, for afflicting 
thee, even though he kill thee for doing it. Job answered her, 
Thou speakest like a foolish woman. After we have had so 
many good things from God, shall we not be willing to take 
evil things? In all this Job said nothing that was wrong. 

And he had three friends, who, when they heard of his trou- 
ble, came to talk with him and comfort him. But when they 
saw him, he was so changed that they did not know him. Then 
they rent their clothes and wept, and sat down on the ground 
near to him, but did not speak, because they could see that his 
grief was great. Now his friends thought his troubles had been 
sent upon him on account of some evil that he had done. And 
after a while they spoke to him, and said, If thou hast done 
wickedly, do so no more. Thou must have sinned, in taking 
what did not belong to thee, or in being cruel to the poor, or in 
not praying to God; yet if thou wilt repent of thy sins, God 
will forgive thee and take thy sufferings away. 

is 



226 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



But Job knew that he had not done the things which his 
friends accused him of, and he said to them, You came to com- 
fort me, but what you say does not help me at all. I would 
rather you should be still altogether, and let me alone. Did I 
send for you, or ask you to talk to me ? If you were afflicted as 
I am, I also could say many things against you, and call you 
wicked. But instead of this I would speak kindly, and try to 
make your troubles less. 




JOB AND HIS THREE FRIENDS 

Then Job spoke of his sorrows, and said, The Lord has sent 
great troubles upon me. Oh, that he would put me to death, that 
I might suffer no more. When I lie down at night, instead of 
resting in sleep, I toss upon my bed in pain and wish it were 
morning. Or, if I fall asleep for a little while, dreadful dreams 
frighten me, so that I would rather die than live. Oh, that I 
had some one to speak to God for me, for he does not listen to 
my prayers. Yet I know that my Saviour is living, and that 
after many years he will come on the earth, and I shall rise up 
from the grave and see God for myself. 



THE BOOK OF JOB 227 

But when Job saw that he could neither die, as he wished to 
do, nor be made well, but that he must still bear his pains, he 
grew impatient. He was willing to bear them for a little while, 
but not until God saw best to take them away. Then he began 
to find fault, and say that his troubles were too great, and that 
God was cruel to him. And his three friends, instead of trying 
to encourage him, still told him that he must have offended 
God: His troubles were a punishment, they said, and God did 
not punish the good, but the wicked; therefore Job must have 
done very wickedly. Then Job was displeased with them and 
answered them angrily, and they answered him angrily again. 
So they kept on, accusing one another and complaining against 
each other. After they had talked in this way for a long while, 
and had, each of them, said many things they ought not to have 
said, they heard a voice speaking out of a whirlwind that came 
by that place. It was the voice of God. 

And the voice spoke to Job, and told him of the wonderful 
works God had done ; that it was he who had made the earth, 
the sea, and the sky. It is God, the voice said, who sends the 
rain on the fields, to make the grass and the flowers spring up. 
He covers the rivers with ice, and the ground with snow, and 
sends the lightning from the sky. He gives the wild beasts 
their food, and feeds the young birds which cry to him when they 
are hungry. It is God who gave the beautiful wings to the pea- 
cock, and feathers to the ostrich. He made the horse that is so 
swift and strong, and that is not afraid in the time of war, when 
he hears the trumpets, and the shouting of the captains, but is 
.eager to. rush with them into the battle. He taught the eagle to 
build her nest on the high rocks, and to fly off and hunt food 
for her young ones. 

When God had told Job of all these wonderful works, he 
asked whether Job was able to do such things, or whether he 
was wise enough to teach God what he should do ? Then Job 
saw how he had sinned in finding fault with God. He said, I 
am wicked, and have spoken of things that I do not under- 
stand ; therefore I repent of my sin, and bow down in the dust 
before thee. 



228 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



And God said to Job's three friends, I am angry with you, 
for you have not spoken what is right to my servant Job, in his 
trouble. Now, therefore, lest I punish you, take seven bullocks 
and seven rams, and offer them up as a burnt offering, and ask 
Job to pray for you that you may be forgiven, for his prayers I 
will hear. So they did as the Lord commanded ; and Job prayed 
for them and they were forgiven. 




JOB IN PROSPERITY 



After this the Lord took away Job's sickness. Then all his 
brothers, and sisters, and friends came to him, and they had 
a feast in his house. Every man gave him a piece of money 
and an earring of gold. And now the Lord blessed Job more 
than he had done before he sent his troubles upon him, and 
gave him twice as great riches. For Job had fourteen thou- 
sand sheep, six thousand camels, two thousand oxen, and a 



THE BOOK OF JONAH 229 

thousand asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters; 
and in all the land there were no women so beautiful as the 
daughters of Job. After these things he lived a hundred and 
forty years; and he died, being a very old man. 



THE BOOK OF JONAH 



JONAH FLEES FROM THE VOICE OF THE LORD. HE IS THROWN INTO THE SEA 
AND SWALLOWED BY A GREAT FISH, WHICH CASTS HIM OUT ON THE 
DRY LAND. HE PREACHES TO THE NINEVITES. 

Nineveh was one of the mightiest cities of the old times. 
In it were temples, palaces, and houses for a great multitude 
of people; and beautiful gardens, also, and green fields, where 
cattle were fed. Around the city were walls a hundred feet 
high. These walls were so thick that on their top three chariots, 
drawn by horses, might be driven side by side. And towers 
were built above the walls, all around the city. There were 
fifteen hundred towers, each one being two hundred feet high. 
On the top of the walls, and in the towers, the Assyrian soldiers 
stood, to shoot arrows and darts at their enemies when they 
came to fight against Nineveh. But Nineveh was a very wicked 
city. 

And God spoke to the prophet Jonah, saying, Arise and go 
to Nineveh, that great city, and tell the people of the punish- 
ment that is coming upon them for their sins. But Jonah did 
not want to go, and he fled to Joppa, a city by the sea. There 
he found a ship that was going to a far country, and Jonah paid 
his fare and went into it, that he might flee to some place where 
he would not hear the Lord speaking to him. 

But when he had sailed out on the sea, the Lord sent a strong 
wind and there was a great storm, and the ship was in danger 
of being broken to pieces. Then the sailors were afraid, and 
they prayed, each one to his idol, for help. They threw out, 
also, some of the loading of the ship, to lighten it and keep it 
from sinking. But Jonah did not know of the danger they were 
in, for he had gone down to the lower part of the ship, and lay 



2 3 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

there fast asleep. And the captain came to him and awaked 
him, saying, What meanest thou, O sleeper ? Rise up and pray 
to thy God ; perhaps he may pity us, and save us from perishing. 

Then the men talked with one another, and said, Because 
some one in the ship has done wickedly, this storm is sent; and 
they said, Come, let us cast lots that we may find out for whose 
sake it is brought upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on 
Jonah. Then they said to him, Tell us, what wicked thing hast 
thou done ? where is thy country ? and to what people dost thou 
belong? Jonah answered, I am a Hebrew, and am fleeing from 
the Lord who made the sea and the dry land, that I may not 
hear his voice speaking to me. And the men were greatly afraid, 
and said, Why hast thou done this thing? And they asked 
Jonah, What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be still for 
us? For the ship was tossed by the tempest. Jonah answered 
them, Take me up and cast me into the sea, so shall the sea be 
still for you, because I know that it is for my sake this danger 
has come upon you. 

Yet the men did not want to throw him into the sea, and they 
rowed hard to bring the ship to land, but could not. Then they 
prayed to the Lord, whom Jonah had told them of, and they 
cried out to him, saying, O Lord, we beseech thee, punish iis not 
for casting this man into the sea, as if we were putting to death 
one who had done us no harm, for thou, O Lord, hast sent the 
storm on his account. Then they took up Jonah and cast him 
into the sea, and the sea grew still and calm. The men won- 
dered at this; and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and 
promised, after that, to serve him. 

Now the Lord had sent a great fish to the side of the ship, to 
swallow up Jonah as soon as he should be cast into the sea. 
And Jonah was in the fish three days and three nights. And 
he prayed to the Lord while he was in the fish; he cried to God 
in his trouble, and confessed his sin. God heard him, and com- 
manded the fish to cast him out on the dry land. 

Then the Lord spoke to him again, the second time, and said, 
Rise up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to the 
people the words that I shall tell thee. So Jonah arose and 



COPYRIGHT, 1Q11. BY W. A. FOSTER 




JONAH IS CAST INTO THE SEA 



THE BOOK OF JONAH 



231 



went. And he came into the middle of the city, as far as he 
could walk in one day, and there he cried out with a loud voice, 
and said, After forty days Nineveh shall be destroyed, for the 
sins of the people. 

When the king of Nineveh and the people heard this, they 
believed that God had sent Jonah, and that the words he spoke 
would come true. So the king rose up from his throne, and 
took off his royal robes and put on sackcloth. And the king 




JONAH CAST OUT BY THE FISH 



and his princes sent word through the city that all the people 
should fast. Let not man nor beast, they said, eat any food or 
drink any water, but let them be covered with sackcloth, and let 
every one pray with all his heart and cease doing wickedly; for 
who can tell but the Lord may forgive us and take his great 
anger from us, so that we perish not ? And when God saw how 
they prayed to him, and ceased doing evil, he took away his 
anger from them and did not destroy the city. 

But Jonah was displeased at this. He wanted Nineveh to be 



232 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



destroyed because the people who lived there were enemies to 
the children of Israel. Jonah feared also being laughed at, and 
called a false prophet. Therefore he was angry and spoke wick- 
edly to the Lord; he said, I knew that thou wouldst not destroy 
the city, and therefore I fled the first time, that I might not 
hear thy voice speaking to me. Now, I beseech thee, O Lord, 
put me to death, for I would rather die than live. Yet the 




JONAH UNDER HIS BOOTH 

Lord spoke kindly to Jonah, and asked if it were well for him 
to be angry. 

And Jonah would not stay in Nineveh, but he went to a place 
outside of the city, and made a booth there, and sat down under 
it, by himself, to see whether the city would be destroyed or not. 
And the Lord caused a gourd, or vine, to grow up in one night 
over his booth; its thick leaves shaded his head, and Jonah 
was very glad for the gourd. But soon God sent a worm that 
gnawed at its root, and the next day it died. In the morning 
God sent a hot wind on Jonah, and the sun also beat upon his 
head, and as the gourd no longer shaded him, he was made sick 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 233 

by the heat and fainted. Again he was angry and wished he 
might die, and said, It is better for me to die than live. 

And God said to him, Doest thou well to be angry ? Jonah 
answered, Yes, I do well to be angry. Then God said, Thou art 
angry because I have destroyed the gourd, which was only a 
vine that grew up in a night and died in a night; and now 
wouldst thou have me to destroy Nineveh, that great city, where 
there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand little chil- 
dren, so young that they cannot tell their right hands from their 
left ? So God taught Jonah how selfish and wicked he was in 
wishing that Nineveh should be destroyed, because the people 
were not friends to the children of Israel, and because he feared 
being laughed at and called a false prophet. 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



CHAPTERS I-VI (1-6) 

ELKAXAH AND HANNAH SACRIFICE AT SHILOH : HANNAH PRAYS FOR A SON, 
AND SAMUEL IS GIVEN HER. SHE LEAVES HIM AT THE TABERNACLE. 
THE LORD SPEAKS TO SAMUEL. THE PHILISTINES TAKE THE ARK, AND 
HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS ARE SLAIN. ELI DIES. THE ARK IS SENT BACK 
TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL. 

There was a man of the children of Israel named Elkanah, 
who went every year from the city of Ramah, where he lived, 
to offer up a sacrifice at the tabernacle in Shiloh. And his 
wife, whose name was Hannah, went with him. Now Elkanah 
loved his wife, and gave her a present whenever he went to 
offer up his sacrifice; yet she was unhappy, because the Lord 
had given her no child. 

And she came to the tabernacle and prayed, and made a vow 
to the Lord that if he would give her a son, she would give that 
son back to him, and he should be a Nazarite, and set apart to 
serve the Lord all the days of his life. Eli was the high priest 
at that time. Hannah came with her husband to Shiloh and 
prayed at the tabernacle, and wept while she prayed. And 
Eli saw her lips moving, but could not tell what she said, for 
she spoke softly, so that her voice was not heard. 



234 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Then Eli thought she was drunken, and muttering words to 
herself, and he said to her, How long wilt thou be drunken? 
put away thy wine from thee. But Hannah answered, No, my 
lord, I am a woman in trouble. I have drunk neither wine nor 
strong drink, but have been praying with my heart to the Lord. 
Then Eli answered her kindly, and said, Go in peace, and may 




HANNAH PRAYS AT THE TABERNACLE 



God give thee what thou dost ask him for. Hannah was glad 
at the high priest's words, and went away and looked sad no 
more. After this she and her husband left Shiloh, and came to 
their home in the city of Ramah. 

And the Lord remembered Hannah's prayer, and sent her a 
son, and she called his name Samuel, which means, Asked of 
God ; because she had asked God for him, and God gave him to 
her. After Samuel was born, the time came for his father to go 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



235 



to Shiloh again, and offer up his sacrifice as he did each year. 
But Hannah would not go; she said she would wait till the boy 
was weaned, and then would take him up, that he might stay 
there always. For she had given Samuel to the Lord, that he 
might live at the tabernacle and wait on the priests, and serve the 
Lord as long as he lived. And her husband told her to do as 




HANNAH BRINGS SAMUEL TO ELI 



seemed right to her; so Hannah stayed at their home until her 
son was weaned. 

When she had weaned him, she took him up to the tabernacle, 
and she and her husband offered a bullock as a sacrifice. And 
they brought the child to Eli, and Hannah spoke to Eli, saying, 
O my lord! I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying 
unto the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has given 
me what I asked him for. Therefore I have given the child 
back to the Lord ; as long as he liveth, he shall be given to the 
Lord. And she left Samuel to stay with Eli at the tabernacle. 



23 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Eli had two sons, whose names were Hophni and Phine- 
has- they were priests at the tabernacle. Now the Lord had 
said that the priests should be holy, because they were his min- 
isters who offered up sacrifices to him; but Hophni and Phinehas 
were not holy, they were wicked men. _ 

We have read that when any man offered up a peace offering, 
only a part of it was burned on the altar; the rest was given, 
some of it to the priest, for him to eat, and some of it to the man 
who brought the offering, for him to eat. But Hophni and 
Phinehas took more than their share of the peace offerings, and 
if any man were unwilling they should have so much they would 
take it from him by force. Therefore the people did not care to 
come any more to the tabernacle with their offerings, because of 
the wicked things which were done by Hophni and Phinehas. 

But Samuel, who was only a child, did what was right and 
pleased the Lord. And his mother made him a little coat, and 
brought it to him each year, when she came up with her husband 
to offer their sacrifice. And Eli spoke kindly to them, and asked 
that the Lord would bless them, because they had given Samuel 
to the Lord. So his parents came every year to Shiloh and wor- 
shipped, and afterward went away again to their own home; but 
Samuel stayed with Eli at the tabernacle. • 

Now Eli was very old, and he heard of the evil things which 
his sons did, and he said to them, Why do you such things? for 
he was grieved at their wickedness. Yet he did not punish them, 
nor put them away from being priests, as he ought to have done, 
but allowed them to go on in their sin. And there came a 
prophet to him with a message from the Lord . The Lord asked 
why he allowed his sons to take the best part of all the offerings 
that the people brought. Eli cared more to please his sons the 
Lord said, than he did to please him; therefore the Lord de- 
clared that he would not have Eli for his high priest, but would 
choose another man who should do his will, and both of Eli s 
sons, the Lord said, should die in one day. 

And Samuel stayed at the tabernacle, doing as he was bid- 
den by the high priest. One night he lay down to sleep and 
Eli lay down also. And Samuel heard a voice calling to him, 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 237 

and he answered, Here am I. Then he rose up and ran to Eli, 
and said that he had come because Eli called him, for he thought 
it was Eli's voice. But Eli said, I called not, lie down again; 
and he went and lay down. 

And he heard the voice again, and arose and went to Eli, and 
said, Here I am, for thou calledst me. Eli answered, I called 
thee not, my son, lie down again. And Samuel heard the voice 
a third time, and went to Eli and said, Here I am, for thou didst 
call me. Then Eli knew that it was the Lord who had called 
the child; therefore he said to him, Go, lie down; and if he call 
thee say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. 

So Samuel went and lay down. And the Lord came and called 
as before, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel answered, Speak, for 
thy servant heareth. Then the Lord told him that he was going 
to do a thing which would make every one who should hear of 
it afraid; for he would punish Eli and his sons as he had said, 
because his sons had made themselves wicked, and Eli had not 
kept them from doing so ; and though they should offer up sac- 
rifices and burnt offerings for their sins, he would not hear 
them nor forgive them. 

When the Lord was done speaking, Samuel lay still until the 
morning; then he rose up and opened the doors of the taber- 
nacle. He was afraid to tell Eli of what the Lord had said. 
But Eli called him, and asked, saying, What is the thing that 
the Lord hath said unto thee? hide it not from me. God do so 
to thee (that is, God punish thee too) if thou hide anything 
from me of all that the Lord has spoken. Then Samuel told 
him every word, and hid nothing from him. When Eli heard 
it, he said, It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good; 
that is, It is my heavenly Father who has said he will punish me. 
I deserve it, let him do to me whatever he thinks best. 

And Samuel grew, and the Lord blessed him, and all the 
people knew that he was chosen to be a prophet. 

The words which God spoke to Samuel came true ; for the 
children of Israel went out to fight against the Philistines, and 
made their camp at a place called Ebenezer. The Philistines 
made their camp at Aphek, and they fought against the children 



23 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of Israel, and slew of them about four thousand men. When 
the army of Israel came back to their camp after the battle, the 
elders asked why the Lord had allowed so many of them to be 
slain. Then they said to one another, Let us bring the ark out 
of the tabernacle to save us from our enemies. Perhaps they re- 
membered how it was carried around Jericho, when the children 
of Israel took that city. But the Lord commanded them to 
carry it then ; he did not command them to send for it now, and 
it was foolish to think that the ark could save them : the Lord 
alone could do that. 

Yet they sent to Shiloh for the ark, and the two sons of Eli, 
Hophni and Phinehas, came with it. When it was brought 
into the camp, the people were glad and shouted with a great 
shout, and the noise sounded far off on every side. The Phil- 
istines heard it, and said, What meaneth the noise of this great 
shout in the camp of the Hebrews? They were told that 
the ark had come into the camp; and they were afraid, and 
cried, Who shall save us? Then they said to one another, Let 
us be strong, and fight like men, that we may not be servants 
of the Hebrews. 

And they fought again with the men of Israel, and slew thirty 
thousand of them; they took the ark away from the Israelites 
also, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. 
And there ran a man out of the army to Shiloh that same day; 
his clothes were rent, and he had put earth on his head to show 
his grief. Eli, the high priest, sat upon a seat by the way-side, 
watching; for he was afraid, since the ark had been carried to 
the battle, lest some evil might happen it, and he waited to hear 
what word should come. 

Then the man came into the city, and told the people that 
the ark was taken, and they all cried out with fear. When Eli 
heard them, he said, What meaneth this noise among the people ? 
Now Eli was very old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could 
not see. And the man came in quickly to him, and said, I am 
he that fled to-day out of the army. Eli asked him what had 
happened there. The man answered, The men of Israel have 
fled from the Philistines, and a great many of them have been 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



2 39 



slain; thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the 
ark of God is taken. When the man spoke of the ark, Eli fell 
off from his seat backward, down to the ground, and his neck 
broke, and he died ; for his grief was greater than he could bear, 
when he heard that the ark was taken. 

Eli was not only high priest, but he was judge also over the 
children of Israel forty years. 

The Philistines took the ark and carried it to one of their 




A MAN RUNS TO TELL THAT THE ARK IS TAKEN 

cities, called Ashdod, where they had a house for their idol whose 
name was Dagon. They brought the ark into the house of 
Dagon, and set it down by the idol and left it there all night. 
But when they rose early in the morning, and came into Dagon's 
house, they found that the idol had fallen upon its face on the 
ground before the ark. Then they lifted it up, and set it in its 
place, and left the ark there another night. And when they 
came, early in the morning, Dagon was fallen down before the 



240 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



ark again; but this time his head and his hands were cut off, 
only his body was left. 

After that, there came a great sickness upon the people of 
Ashdod, and many of them died. Then they said to one another, 
The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us. They said 
this because they believed it was God who had sent the sickness 




DAGON FALLEN DOWN BEFORE THE ARK 



among them, and thrown down their idol. Therefore they called 
all the lords of the Philistines together, and spoke to them, say- 
ing, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel ? They 
answered, Let it be carried to Gath. Gath was another city of 
the Philistines. And they carried it to Gath, but there came a 
great sickness among the people of that city also. And the 
Philistines kept the ark for seven months, but during all that 
time the Lord sent great trouble upon them. Then they called 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 241 

for their wise men, and asked how they should send it back to 
the land of Israel, for they were afraid to keep it any longer. 

Now in that country cows were used for drawing carts, as 
horses are here. And the wise men told the Philistines to make a 
new cart, and take two cows and tie them to it, but to bring their 
calves home from them. Then, they said, the people should lay 
the ark upon the cart, and send it away, letting the cows draw it 
wherever they chose, without any one to guide them. If the 
cows should go, of their own accord, away from their homes and 
from their calves, and take the ark into the land of Israel, the 
wise men said it would show that the Lord made them go there ; 
and that he was angry with the Philistines for keeping the ark, 
and had sent all their troubles as a punishment upon them. 
But if the cows should not take the ark to the land of Israel, 
then it would show that the Lord did not want it sent back, and 
that he had not punished the Philistines for keeping it, but that 
their troubles had come by chance upon them. 

The Philistines did as their wise men said. They took two 
cows and tied them to a new cart, but shut up their calves 
at home. Then they laid the ark on the cart and let the cows 
loose, to go wherever they chose — the lords of the Philistines 
following after them to see which way they would go. And 
as soon as the cows were let loose they went straight into the 
land of Israel, lowing as they went, until they came to a city 
called Beth-shemesh. The children of Israel who lived there 
were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley near to the city. 
They looked up and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 

And the cows brought it into the field of a man named Joshua, 
and stood still beside a great stone that was there. Then some 
men of the tribe of Levi came, and took the ark down from the 
cart and laid it on the stone. And they broke up the cart for 
wood, and killed the cows for a burnt offering, and offered them 
to the Lord. The Levites took the ark down from the cart, 
because, as we have read, the Lord had chosen them to take care 
of it, and of all the things in the tabernacle. If the men of any 
other tribe should come near to those sacred things, God said they 
must be put to death. But the men of Beth-shemesh disobeyed 
16 



242 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



God; they wanted to see the ark, and they came near to it, and 
looked into it, and many of them died for their sin. 




s!*m»mi 



THE ARK IS BROUGHT. BACK TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL 



Then the ark was taken to the city of Kirjath-jearim, into the 
house of a man named Abinadab, and was left there for many 
years. 



CHAPTERS VII-XII (7-12) 

SAMUEL IS MADE JUDGE OVER THE PEOPLE. HIS SONS DO WICKEDLY. THE 
PEOPLE ASK FOR A KING, AND SAUL IS CHOSEN. HE SAVES JABESH- 
GILEAD FROM THE AMMONITES. SAMUEL TELLS THE PEOPLE OF THEIR 
WICKEDNESS IN ASKING FOR A KING. 

After Eli was dead the Lord made Samuel judge over the 
people. He lived in the city of Ramah, where his father, 
Elkanah, and his mother, Hannah, had lived. We have read 
that after the tabernacle was finished, and the ark was put into 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 243 

it, every man among the children of Israel was commanded to 
bring his sacrifice there, that the priests might offer it up for 
him on the altar of burnt offering. But at the time we are now 
reading about the ark was not in the tabernacle ; for the people 
had never brought it back to Shiloh, as they ought to have done, 
and we are not told that the priests stayed there any longer 
to offer up sacrifices. Then Samuel built an altar at Ramah, 
where he lived, and offered up sacrifices himself. 

And the children of Israel sinned again, for they worshipped 
the idols Baal and Ashtaroth. Then the Philistines made war 
upon them. And Samuel spoke to them, saying, If you will put 
away your idols and serve the Lord, he will save you from the 
Philistines. The people obeyed Samuel; and he said to them, 
Come all of you to the city of Mizpeh, and I will pray for you. 
Then they came to Mizpeh, and there they confessed their wick- 
edness, and said, We have sinned against the Lord. 

When the Philistines heard that the people were at Mizpeh, 
they went up to fight against them. Then the men of Israel were 
afraid, and they said to Samuel, Cease not to pray to the Lord 
our God for us, that he may save us. Samuel took a young 
lamb and offered it up as a burnt offering; and he prayed to the 
Lord for the people, and the Lord heard him. While Samuel 
was offering up the lamb the Philistines came near, to battle. 
But the Lord sent a great storm of thunder and lightning upon 
them, that made them flee away in fear. Then the men of 
Israel came out of Mizpeh and chased them, killing many of 
them. So the Lord gave the men of Israel the victory. And 
Samuel set up a stone at the place where the Lord helped them, 
and called it Ebenezer, which means, The stone of help. 

When he was grown old, Samuel made his two sons judges, 
that they might help him in ruling over the land. But they 
did not rule justly, as their father had done. For if two of the 
people disputed about anything, and came to them to decide 
which was right and which was wrong, they would say that the 
one was right who paid them for saying so. This was taking a 
bribe; and they took bribes from the people, allowing any one 
to do wrong who would pay them money for it. 



244 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And all the elders of Israel came to Samuel, at Ramah, and 
told him that he was now old, and that his sons did wickedly; 
and they asked him to choose for them a king, that they might 
be like the other nations around them. It was right in them to 
tell Samuel that his sons did wickedly, but it was wrong in them 
to ask for a king, because the Lord was their king, and Samuel 
was the judge whom he had set over them. Samuel was dis- 
pleased when they asked him to choose a king, and he prayed to 
the Lord, that the Lord might tell him what he should do. Then 
the Lord said it was not Samuel whom the children of Israel 
wanted to put away, but it was the Lord himself whom they 
wanted to put away from ruling over them. 

Yet the Lord commanded Samuel to tell them what their king 
would do to them, and how cruelly he would treat them, if they 
should have a king like the other nations. And Samuel did so. 
He told the men of Israel that the king would take their sons to 
be drivers of his chariots, and workmen in his fields, and their 
daughters to be cooks and bakers in his kitchen. He would 
take the best of their lands and of their vineyards, and give them 
to whomever he pleased. Their cattle and their sheep he would 
take away also ; and they would cry out, Samuel said, in that day 
for the trouble their king had brought upon them, but the Lord 
would not hear them. Yet the people said, We will have a king 
like all the other nations, that he may rule over us, and go out 
with us to fight our battles. Then the Lord commanded Samuel 
to do as they asked, and choose them a king. 

Now there was a man of the children of Israel named Kish, 
who had a son called Saul. The Bible tells us that Saul was a 
goodly young man ; that is, he was well formed and handsome to 
look at : he was taller also than any of the rest of the people. And 
the asses that belonged to Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So 
Kish said to Saul, Take one of the servants with thee, and arise, 
go look for the asses. Then Saul took a servant and went to 
look for them : but after he had gone a long way and could not 
find them, Saul said to the servant, Come, let us go back, lest 
my father stop caring for the asses and be troubled about us. 

But by this time they had come near to a city of that land, 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 245 

and the servant told Saul there was in the city a prophet whose 
words always came true. The servant meant Samuel. And he 
said, Let us go and ask him; perhaps he can tell us which way 
we shall look for the asses. Saul answered, Thy word is good: 
come let us go. Now there was to be a peace offering that day 
in the city, and the people were to have a feast upon the part of 
it which was not burned on the altar. . As Saul and his ser- 
vant went up the hill to the city, they met young maidens going 
out to draw water, and they asked them if the prophet were 
there. The maidens answered, Yes; he came to-day, for there 
is to be a feast of the people. As soon as you come into the 
city you shall find him. And when they had come into the 
city, Samuel met them. 

Now the Lord had told Samuel he would send to him that 
day the man who should be king over Israel. And when 
Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, This is the man I spoke 
to thee of. But Saul did not know Samuel, and he went to him 
and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the prophet's house is. 
Samuel answered, I am the prophet. Then he told Saul to 
bring his servant and come to the feast, and stay there that 
day; on the morrow, Samuel said, Saul should go on his jour- 
ney. And as for the asses that had been lost, he need think of 
them no more, for his father had found them. 

Then Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them 
into the parlor, and made them sit in the best place, among 
those who were invited to the feast. Samuel told the cook to 
bring the food which he had bidden him save; and the cook 
brought it and set it before Saul, and Samuel told Saul to eat 
of it, because it had been saved for him. So Saul stayed with 
Samuel that day. 

The next morning, very early, they rose up, and Samuel took 
Saul on to the roof of the house, where they would be alone, and 
there he talked with him; afterward he went with him toward 
the gate of the city. And as they were walking together, he 
said to Saul, Bid thy servant go on before us, but stand thou 
still, that I may show thee what the Lord has commanded me 
to do. When the servant had gone on before, Samuel took a 



246 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



bottle of oil and poured it upon Saul's head, and anointed him. 
We have read that Moses anointed Aaron when he was made 
high priest; so they used to do to the one who was made king. 
And now Samuel anointed Saul that he might be king over the 
children of Israel, because the Lord had commanded him to do 
it. But no one knew of it except Saul and'Samuel, for the Lord 



- 




SAUL ANOINTED BY SAMUEL 



did not mean to let the people know of it until he should choose 
Saul again, before them all, for their king. 
. After these things, Samuel spoke to the people, and told them 
that the Lord said he had brought them up out of Egypt, and 
set them free from their enemies, yet they would not have him 
to rule over them, but asked for a king. Then Samuel com- 
manded them to come to the city of Mizpeh, that they might 
have a king set over them. And they came to Mizpeh, and 
there the Lord chose, from among them all, Saul to be king 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 247 

over Israel. But when the people looked for him they could 
not find him. Therefore they asked the Lord where he was, 
and whether he would come to be their king. The Lord an- 
swered, He hath hidden himself among the stuff. 

Then the people ran and brought him out, and as he stood 
among them, he was higher than any of them, from his shoul- 
ders and upward. Samuel said to them, See the man whom the 
Lord hath chosen; there is none like him among all the people. 
And they all shouted and said, God save the king ! Then Samuel 
told them about the kingdom, and how Saul should rule over 
them, and he wrote it down in a book. Afterward he sent them 
away, every man to his own home. Saul also went to his home 
in the city of Gibeah. 

After this the Ammonites came up to fight against the city 
of Jabesh-gilead. And the men of Israel who lived there were 
afraid, and promised that if the Ammonites would treat them 
kindly, they would be their servants. But the Ammonites 
would not; they said they would take every man and put out 
his right eye, and afterward would boast of having done it to 
all the rest of the people. When the men of Jabesh-gilead 
heard this, they asked the Ammonites to give them seven days, 
that they might send messengers to their brethren in other parts 
of the land. If, by that time, no one should come to help them, 
they promised to go out of the city and let the Ammonites do 
to them as they pleased. 

Then they sent messengers to Gibeah, where Saul lived, and 
the messengers told the people what the Ammonites said; and 
the people wept when they heard it. While they were weeping, 
Saul came in with a herd of cattle from the field ; and he asked, 
saying, What aileth the people, that they weep? And they 
repeated to him the words that the messengers had spoken. 
Then Saul took two oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent the 
pieces through all the land of Israel, saying to the people, Who- 
ever does not come to fight against the Ammonites, so shall it be 
done to his oxen. When the people heard these words, there 
came to Saul more than three hundred thousand men. Early 
the next morning he led them out against the Ammonites, and 



248 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

they fought with them and slew them, until the middle of the 
day. Those that were not slain, fled and were scattered, so that 
no two of them were left together; and the children of Israel 
rejoiced over their victory. 

After these things, Samuel spoke to the people and said, I 
have made you a king as you asked me, and your king is before 
you. And now I am old and gray-headed. I have been with 
you from my childhood to this day, and you know of all that 
I have done. Tell me then, whether, since I have been judge 
over you, I have ever taken away any man's ox, or his ass, or 
anything that belonged to another? or whether I have been 
unjust, or cruel to any man, or taken a bribe, and allowed the 
person who gave it to do wrong? For if I have done any of 
these things, I will now give back what does not belong to me. 
The people answered, Thou hast never been unjust to us, nor 
taken a bribe, nor anything that did not belong to thee. 

Then Samuel told them they had done wickedly in asking for 
a king, because the Lord was their king, and they should have 
wanted no other. And he said to the people, Stand still, and 
see what the Lord will do before your eyes. Is not this the 
time of wheat harvest, when we do not have rain? But I will 
call to the Lord, and he shall send a great storm of thunder 
and rain, to make you feel how much you have offended him. 
So Samuel called unto the Lord, and he sent thunder and rain 
that day, until all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 
And they begged Samuel to pray for them, that they might not 
be put to death. 

Samuel said, I shall not cease to pray for you, and to point 
out to you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, 
and serve him in truth with all your heart : for consider what 
great things he has done for you. Thus Samuel spoke kindly 
to them, and told them not to fear. They had sinned, he said, 
yet if they would obey the Lord, the Lord would forgive 
them and take care of them, because he had chosen them 
for his people. But if, instead of obeying him, they still 
should do wickedly, they would be destroyed, both they and 
their king. 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 249 



CHAPTERS XIII-XVI (13-16) 

THE PHILISTINES BRING AN ARMY AGAINST ISRAEL. SAUL DISOBEYS THE 
LORD AT GILGAL. THE MEN OF ISRAEL GAIN A VICTORY OVER THE 
PHILISTINES. SAUL, BEING SENT AGAINST THE AMALEKITES, AGAIN 
DISOBEYS THE LORD. THE LORD SENDS SAMUEL TO BETHLEHEM TO 
ANOINT DAVID. 

After Saul had been king two years, he chose three thousand 
men for soldiers. Saul himself was captain over two thousand 
of them, and his son Jonathan was captain over the other 
thousand. And Jonathan fought against some Philistines, 
who had come into the land of Israel. Then the Philistines 
gathered a great army, and came up with thousands of chariots 
and horsemen, and with so many soldiers that they could not 
be counted. When the people saw what a great host had 
come against them, they were afraid, and hid in caves, and 
thick bushes, among the rocks, and on the mountains, and in pits 
in the earth. Some of them fled over Jordan, into the land of 
Gilead, where the two and a half tribes lived. The few who were 
left followed after Saul their king, but they trembled with fear. 

Saul came to Gilgal, for Samuel had promised to meet him 
there, and had commanded him to wait till he should come, 
that Samuel might offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings, 
and afterward tell Saul what he should do. And Saul waited 
seven days; then, when Samuel came not, he grew impatient and 
said, Bring here a burnt offering to me; and he offered up the 
burnt offering himself. As soon as he had done it, Samuel came, 
and Saul went out to meet him. And Samuel said, What hast 
thou done ? Then Saul began to make excuse for offering up 
the sacrifice, and said that he was afraid to wait any longer, 
lest the Philistines should come against him. But Samuel said 
that he had done wickedly and disobeyed the Lord, and there- 
fore the Lord would put him away from being king, and would 
choose another man in his place. Samuel did not mean that 
Saul would be put away at once ; but that the Lord had deter- 
mined to do it some time, and that it was as certain to be done 
as if it were done that very day. 



2 5 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Saul numbered the people who were with him, and found 
there were about six hundred men; and he and Jonathan came 
to the city of Gibeah, but the Philistines were at Michmash. 
Now the Philistines had for a long time made the children of 
Israel their servants ; and they would not let the men of Israel 
have swords or spears, for fear they might rise up and fight 
against them. The Philistines had sent all the smiths out of 
the land, lest they should make these things for the people. 
So when the day for the battle came, it was found that among 
the children of Israel no man had either a sword or a spear 
except Saul and Jonathan. 

In those days soldiers wore armor made of iron or brass. 
They carried shields also, made of strong boards covered with 
the skin of oxen. These they held up before them while they 
were in battle, that the arrows and darts of their enemies might 
not wound them. Jonathan, Saul's son, wore armor, and he 
had a soldier to carry his shield and spear for him, when he did 
not want to use them. This soldier was called his armor-bearer. 

Now the Philistines had their camp near to the camp of the 
children of Israel. And Jonathan asked his armor-bearer to go 
with him over to the camp of the Philistines. For, he said, the 
Lord might help them, even Jonathan and his armor-bearer 
alone, to fight against all their great army; because the Lord 
could give the victory to whomever he chose, either to many or 
to few. And the armor-bearer said he would go. Then Jona- 
than told him that this was the way they would know whether 
the Lord intended to help them or not. They would go and 
stand where the Philistines could see them; if the Philistines 
should call out to them and tell them to wait, then, Jonathan 
said, they would go no further, for the Lord was not going to 
help them. But if the Philistines should say, Come up to us, 
they would go up ; for the Lord would give them the victory. 

And Jonathan and his armor-bearer went and stood at a place 
where the Philistines could see them. Then the Philistines 
made sport of them, and said, See, the Hebrews are coming out 
of the holes where they were hidden: and they called out, Come 
up to us, and we will show you something. When Jonathan 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



2 5i 



heard them say this, he told his armor-bearer to come, for the 
Lord would give the children of Israel the victory. Then Jona- 
than climbed up over the rocks, on his hands and feet, to reach 
the Philistines' camp, and his armor-bearer climbed after him. 
When they came to it, they fought with them and slew about 
twenty men. And the Lord made the earth shake under them, 
so that all the host of the Philistines were afraid and trembled. 




JONATHAN AND HIS ARMOR-BEARER ATTACK THE PHILISTINES 

Now Saul and the men who were with him, did not know 
what Jonathan had done; but Saul's watchman looked out 
toward the camp of the Philistines, and saw fighting there, and 
he told Saul of it. Then Saul counted over all his men, that he 
might know which of them had gone against the Philistines; and 
when he counted them, he found that Jonathan and his armor- 
bearer were missing. And Saul and his men went over to join 
in the battle. Many of those also, who before had been afraid, 



25 2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

and hidden in the mountains, came after them; and the Lord 
helped the children of Israel, and the Philistines fled from them. 
Yet the men of Israel suffered on that day, for Saul commanded 
that no man should eat any food until the evening, because he 
wanted them to go on pursuing their enemies. So none of the 
people tasted of any food. 

And they came to a wood where honey was dropping on the 
ground, from a nest in the trees where the wild bees had made 
it, and the men were hungry, yet they were afraid to eat. But 
Jonathan did not know what his father had said, so he reached 
out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and dipped it into 
the honey-comb, and put the honey to his mouth. When Saul 
heard of it, he said, Thou shalt surely die, Jonathan; for he 
was angry, and would have slain Jonathan, because he had 
disobeyed his command. But the people asked, saying, Shall 
Jonathan die, who has caused us to gain this great victory? 
And they said that no harm should be done to him. So they 
saved Jonathan from being put to death. 

After this, Samuel told Saul that the Lord remembered the 
wickedness of the Amalekites, in making war against the children 
of Israel when they came out of Egypt, although the Israelites 
had done them no harm. And now, Samuel said, the Lord 
commanded Saul to go out against the Amalekites, and destroy 
them, and their cattle, and save nothing of theirs alive. Then 
Saul gathered a great army of more than two hundred thousand 
men, and fought with the Amalekites, and overcame them and 
slew'the people, but their king he let live. Also the best of their 
sheep, of their oxen, of their lambs, and all that was good, Saul 
and the men of Israel saved alive ; but what was poor and worth 
nothing, they put to death. And the Lord was displeased with 
Saul, and he said to Samuel, I repent of having made Saul king, 
for he has not obeyed my commandments. 

After the battle, Samuel came to Saul. And Saul said to him, 

I have done as the Lord commanded me. But Samuel heard the 

bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen, which Saul had 

• taken from the Amalekites, and he said, What meaneth, then, 

this bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen, which I 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



253 



hear? Then Saul began to make excuse and say, that the 
people had saved them alive to offer them up as sacrifices to the 
Lord. But Samuel asked Saul whether the Lord was better 
pleased to have sacrifices offered up to him, than he was to have 
his commands obeyed. It is better to obey than to offer up 
sacrifices, Samuel said. For to go on doing what the Lord had 
commanded them not to do, was as wicked as to worship idols. 




DAVID PLAYING THE HARP IN THE FIELD 



Then Samuel told Saul again that because he had disobeyed the 
Lord, the Lord would put him away from being king. 

And God told Samuel that he should go to the city of Beth- 
lehem, to a man named Jesse, and should anoint one of Jesse's 
sons to be king. But Samuel answered, How can I go? for if 
Saul hear of it he will kill me. Then the Lord said that Samuel 
should take an heifer to offer up as a sacrifice there, and should 
ask Jesse to come to the sacrifice. Afterward, the Lord told 
him, he would show him what he should do. And Samuel did 



254 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



as he was commanded. He came to Bethlehem and made ready 
his sacrifice, and invited Jesse and his sons to come to it. When 
they came, Samuel thought that Jesse's oldest son was the one 
whom the Lord had chosen for king. But the Lord told him 
he was not the one. Then Jesse called another, but the Lord 
did not choose him. And Jesse caused' seven of his sons to 







DAVID ANOINTED AT BETHLEHEM 



pass before Samuel. And Samuel said, The Lord has chosen 

none of these. 

Then Samuel asked, Are these all thy children? Jesse 
answered, There is yet one left, the youngest, but he is keeping 
the sheep. Samuel said, Send and bring him. And they sent 
and brought him. Now he had been out in the field, and when he 
came in and stood before them, his cheeks were red and his face 
was beautiful to look at. And the Lord said to Samuel, Arise, 
anoint him, for this is he. Then Samuel took oil and poured 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



255 



it on his head, and anointed him before all his brethren. So 
the Lord chose David, for that was his name, to be king over 
Israel. Yet he was not to be king at once, nor for a long while 
afterward, but when the Lord should put Saul away from 
being king. 

And after David was anointed, the Lord sent his Holy Spirit 




DAVID PLAYING THE HARP BEFORE SAUL 

into David's heart, to make him good and wise; but he took his 
Spirit away from Saul. 

We have read of the angels — those good spirits that serve 
God. The Bible tells us there are evil spirits also, that serve 
Satan. And now one of these went into Saul and troubled him. 
Then Saul's servants told him that he should look for a man who 
could play well on the harp, and when the evil spirit troubled 
him, that man, they said, should come and play before him, for 
then the evil spirit would go from him. So Saul said to his ser- 
vants, Get for me now a man that can play well, and bring him 



2S 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

to me And one of them answered that he had seen such a man. 
He was the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite. It was David of 
whom he spoke; for David knew well how to play on the harp. 
Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and told him to send 
David, his son, who kept the sheep. Then Jesse took an ass 
and loaded it with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and 
sent them by David as a present to Saul, but he did not let Saul 
know how Samuel had anointed David to be king. So David 
came to Saul, and stayed with him and waited on him for 
he pleased him well. And when the evil spirit troubled Saul, 
David took a harp, and played with his hand and made sweet 
music that comforted him; then the evil spirit went from him. 
But after a while David left Saul's house and returned^ to 
his own home. Saul had many other servants,. and he for- 
got David. 

CHAPTERS XVII-XX (17-20) 

THE ARMY OF THE PHILISTINES AND THE ARMY OF ISRAEL MAKE READY 
FOR BATTLE. GOLIATH DEFIES THE MEN OF ISRAEL. HE IS SLAIN BY- 
DAVID SAUL TAKES DAVID TO HIS OWN HOUSE, BUT GROWS JEALOUS 
OF HIM AND TRIES TO KILL HIM. DAVID MARRIES SAUL'S DAUGHTER. 
JONATHAN SAVES HIM FROM SAUL. 

The Philistines gathered their armies together to fight 
against Israel. And Saul and the men of Israel made ready 
for the battle. The camp of the Philistines was on a mountain 
on one side, and the camp of Israel was on a mountain on the 
other side, and there was a valley between them. 

And there came out of the camp of the Philistines a giant, 
named Goliath of Gath. On his head was a helmet made of 
brass, and he wore a coat of armor; pieces of brass also covered 
his legs, so that no sword nor spear might wound him. He came 
into the valley between the two armies, where the men of Israel 
could see him, and he stood and cried to them, Choose you a 
man out of your army, and let him come down to me. If he be 
able to fight with me and to kill me, then we will be your ser- 
vants- but if I kill him, then shall you be our servants. And 
the Philistine said, I defy, that is, I dare, the armies of Israel 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 257 

this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When 
Saul and the men of Israel heard these words, they were greatly 
afraid; for no man in Saul's army was willing to go out and 
fight with the giant. And every morning and evening for forty 
days, he came out and defied all the men of Israel. 

Now David was feeding his father's sheep at Bethlehem, but 
his three elder brothers had gone out with Saul to fight against 
the Philistines. And Jesse said to David, his son, Take now 
this parched corn and these ten loaves of bread, and run to the 
camp, to thy brethren; and carry these ten cheeses as a present 
to their captain, and see how they do. So David rose up early 
in the morning, and left the sheep with a servant, and went 
as his father commanded. He came to the camp just as the 
host was going out to fight, and all the men shouted for the 
battle. For the Philistines and the children of Israel had made 
ready, and they stood, one army before the other. David left 
the things he had brought with a man, to take care of them, 
and he ran into the army to speak with his brethren. 

While he talked with them, Goliath came out between the 
two armies, and spoke the same words that he had spoken before, 
and David heard him. Then the men of Israel fled from him in 
fear. And David heard them say that if any man would kill 
the Philistine, the king would give him great riches, and he 
should have the king's daughter to be his wife. David asked 
them to tell him again what would be done for the man who 
should kill the Philistine. 

Eliab, David's eldest brother, heard him asking, and was 
angry with him, and said, Why earnest thou down here? and 
whom hast thou left at home, to take care of the sheep ? I know 
the naughtiness of thine heart, for thou art come down to see the 
battle. But David answered his brother, saying, What wrong 
have I now done? Then David said, Who is this Philistine, 
that he should defy the armies of the living God ? David called 
the armies of Israel the armies of God, because the children of 
Israel were God's chosen people; and he called God the living 
God, because all other gods are only dead idols. When the men 
who were near him heard the words that David spoke, they told 

17 



25 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

them to Saul, and Saul sent for him. And David came, but 
Saul did not remember him. 

And David talked with Saul, and told him that he would go 
out against the Philistine. David said, Let no man's heart be 
afraid because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this 
Philistine. Saul said to him, Thou art riot able to go out against 
him, for thou art but a youth, and he has been a man of war 
from his youth. David answered, While I was keeping my 
father's sheep, there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb 
out of the flock; I went after the lion and struck him, and 
set the lamb free from his mouth. When he rose against me, 
I caught him by the beard and slew him. Thy servant slew 
both the lion and the bear; and this wicked Philistine shall be 
like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living 
God. David said also, The Lord who saved me from the paw 
of the lion and the paw of the bear, he will save me from the 
hand of the Philistine. Then Saul said to David, Go, and the 

Lord be with thee. 

And Saul gave David his own armor, his helmet of brass, and 
his coat of mail, and his sword. But David said, I cannot go 
with these; and he put them off from him. Then he took his 
staff, such as shepherds carried, and he chose five smooth stones 
out of the brook, and put them in his shepherd's bag; and his 
sling was in his hand, and he came near to the Philistine^ And 
the Philistine came near to David. But when he saw him, he 
thought him not worth fighting with; for David seemed not like 
a soldier, strong and brave, such as Goliath expected would' come 
out against him; but like a shepherd boy, gentle, and with a 
beautiful face, who had never seen a battle. 

Then the Philistine said, Am I a dog, that thoucomest to me 
with a staff ? And he called on the idols that he worshipped to 
curse David, and told him to come near that he might kill him. 
David answered, Thou comest to me trusting in thy sword, thy 
shield, and thy spear; but I come to thee trusting in the God 
of Israel. For this day he will give thee into my hand, and I 
will kill thee and cut off thy head from thee ; and the army of 
the Philistines shall be slain, and their dead bodies shall lie on 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



259 



the ground ; the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the field 
shall eat them. 

When the Philistine came near, David made haste and ran 
toward him, and put his hand in his shepherd's bag, and took 
out a stone, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his fore- 
head, so that the stone sunk into his forehead, and he fell down 
upon his face to the earth. So David overcame the Philistine 
with a sling and with a stone, for there was no sword in his 




DAVID SLAYS GOLIATH 



hand. And David ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took 
his sword from him and killed him, and cut off his head with it. 
When all the Philistines saw that the man in whom they trusted 
was slain, they fled. Then the army of Israel rose up and 
shouted, and followed after them and slew them, and many fell 
down by the way as they fled. Afterward the men of Israel 
turned back from pursuing them, and went into the Philistines' 
camp, and took all the gold, the silver, and the raiment that 
they had left in their tents. 

And David came from the battle with the head of Goliath in 



2 6o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

his hand. Then Abner, the captain of the army of Israel, took 
him and brought him to Saul. And Saul said, Whose son art 
thou, young man? David answered, I am the son of thy ser- 
vant Jesse, the Bethlehemite. 

Now Jonathan, Saul's son, was there, k and when he saw David 
and heard him speaking with his father, he loved him; the 
Bible says he loved him as his own soul, that is, as much as he 
loved himself. It was the Lord who made him love David, so 
that David might have Jonathan for his friend in all the trou- 
bles that were coming afterward upon him. 

Saul took David that day to be with him, and would let 
him go no more home to his father's house. And Jonathan 
made a covenant with David, and promised to be kind to him, 
because he loved him as his own soul. To show his love he 
took off his robe, and the garments that he wore, and gave them 
to David, and his sword also, and his bow, and the girdle that 
was fastened around his waist. David obeyed the commands 
of Saul, and behaved himself wisely in all things, and Saul 
made him a captain in his army. 

After the battle with the Philistines, as Saul and David 
passed together through some of the cities of the land, the 
women came out with songs and dances, to praise them for their 
victory. But they praised David more than Saul; they said 
that Saul had slain thousands, but David had slain ten thou- 
sands of the Philistines. And Saul was greatly displeased at 
their words, and from that time he was jealous of David, and 
looked unkindly on him. The next day an evil spirit came into 
Saul's heart and troubled him, and David played before him on 
the harp, as he used to do. Saul held a javelin, or spear, in 
his hand, and he cast it at David, intending that it should go 
through his body and fasten him to the wall, for he wanted to 
kill him. But David saw it, and stepped aside out of the way, 
and it did him no harm. Saul cast it at him again, but he 
stepped aside this time also. 

And Saul was afraid of David, because he saw that the Lord 
was with him, but he was not with Saul any more. And Saul 
sent David away from his house, with the soldiers that he had 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 261 

made him captain of. The Lord helped David to do all things 
well, and all the people loved him. And Saul said to him, I will 
give thee Merab, my daughter, for thy wife if thou wilt go out 
and fight against the Philistines. Saul said this because he 
hoped the Philistines would kill him. And David went and 
fought with them, but when the time came that he should have 
Merab, Saul gave her to be the wife of another man. 

After that, Saul's younger daughter, Michal, loved David, and 
they told Saul of it. Then he said that if David would go and 
slay a hundred of the Philistines, he should have Michal for his 
wife; for he hoped that, this time, they would surely kill him. 
So David went with his soldiers and fought against the Philis- 
tines, and slew them, but David himself was not harmed ; then 
Saul gave Michal to him, and she was his wife. And Saul saw 
that the Lord was with David to help him, and he was yet the 
more afraid of him, and came to be his enemy, and hated him. 
He spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants, and 
commanded them to kill David. But Jonathan loved David, 
and told him of what his father had said, saying, My father 
seeketh to kill thee; now, therefore, go to some secret place 
and hide thyself. And I will talk with my father, and what 
he says I will tell thee. 

And Jonathan talked with Saul, and begged him not to 
harm David, for he said that David had done no evil to Saul, 
but had done that which was good. He had risked his own 
life that he might kill Goliath, the Philistine, and after he 
had killed him, the men of Israel gained a great victory. Saul 
knew of all these things, and was full of joy when they happened. 
Why, then, Jonathan asked, would he do so wicked a thing 
now as to kill David, although David was a good man and 
had done nothing for which he deserved to die? And Saul 
listened to Jonathan's words, and promised, before the Lord, 
that David should not be slain. Then Jonathan called David 
from the place where he was hidden, and told him what his 
father had said. And he brought David to Saul, and David 
stayed at Saul's house as before. 

Again there was war in the land, and David went out and 



262 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



fought with the Philistines, and gained the victory over them. 
But Saul was not pleased that he gained the victory, because 
it made the people love him yet more. And the evil spirit 
came into Saul's heart, as he sat in his house with his javelin 
in his hand, while David was playing on the harp before him. 
Then Saul cast the javelin again at David, to kill him, but David 




SAUL CASTS HIS JAVELIN AT DAVID 

saw it and slipped away, as he had done before, and the javelin 
went into the wall and did him no harm; and he fled that night. 
Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch that 
he should not escape in the night, and then to kill him in the 
morning. But Michal, David's wife, knew of it, and told him, 
saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou shalt 
be slain. So she let him down through a window, where Saul's 
men could not see him, and he escaped from them. Then she 
took an image and laid it in his bed, and put a pillow under it, 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 263 

and covered it up, to make them think that David was there, 
so as to let him have time to flee far away. And Saul commanded 
his men to go up into the chamber and take him, but when they 
came there, they found an image in the bed, laid on the pillow. 
And Saul was angry with Michal for this. 

David fled to Ramah, where Samuel lived, and told him 
of all that Saul had done. Afterward he came to Naioth, and 
someone told Saul of it, and Saul sent men to take him, but the 
Lord saved him out of their hands. Then he fled from Naioth 
to the place where Jonathan was, and went to him, and said, 
What have I done ? What is my sin, that thy father seeketh 
to kill me ? Now Jonathan had not heard that his father was 
trying to kill David; therefore he said to him, Thou shalt not 
die, my father will do nothing without first telling me of it. But 
David said it was true that Saul wanted to put him to death. 
Then Jonathan promised to do whatever David should ask of him. 

Now the next day was to be a feast day, when Saul would 
expect David to come to his house and eat of the feast. But 
David was afraid to go, and he begged Jonathan to let him stay 
away for three days. When Saul should ask why he was not at 
the feast, Jonathan was to answer that he had given David per- 
mission to go to Bethlehem, where his father lived, that he might 
be with his family when they offered up their yearly sacrifice. 
If Saul should be angry when he heard this, David said it would 
show that he was determined to do him evil. 

And Jonathan gave David permission to be away for three 
days. Then David asked, But who shall tell me what thy father 
says, when he hears that I have gone? Jonathan answered, 
Come, let us go out into the field. And they went out together 
into the field. And Jonathan told David that after the three 
days were past, David should come and hide in the field behind 
a rock that was there. Then, Jonathan said, he would come out 
at the same time into the field, pretending no one was there, and 
he would shoot three arrows from his bow, as if he were shooting 
at a mark, and would send a lad after the arrows to pick them 
up. If Jonathan should call out to the lad, The arrows are 
on this side of thee, David might know that Saul was not 



264 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

displeased with him, and would do him no harm. But if Jonathan 
should cry out, The arrows are beyond thee, David would know 
that he must flee, and that Saul meant to kill him. Jonathan 
took this plan because he feared he would be watched, and not 
be able to speak with David. 

So David went away from Saul's house, and the next day was 
the day of the feast. And Saul sat down to eat, as at other 
times, on a seat by the wall. Jonathan, and Abner, the captain 
of the host, sat near him; but David's seat was empty. And 
Saul asked nothing about David that day, for he thought some- 
thing had happened to keep him away. But the next day 
David's seat was empty again; and Saul said to Jonathan, Why 
comes not David to eat, neither yesterday nor to-day ? Jonathan 
answered, David asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. He 
said, Let me go, I pray thee, for our family has a sacrifice, and 
my brother has commanded me to be there; and now I pray 
thee, let me go and see my brethren. 

Then Saul was very angry with Jonathan for allowing David 
to go, and told him that he ought not to love David. Saul told 
him this because he wanted Jonathan to be king after he himself 
should die; but now, he said, that Jonathan would never be king 
as long as David lived. Therefore, he said, Send and bring him 
unto me, for he shall surely be put to death. But Jonathan asked, 
Why shall he be put to death ? What evil has he done ? Then 
Saul cast his javelin at Jonathan. Therefore Jonathan knew that 
his father was determined to slay David. So he rose up from the 
table in great anger, and would eat no food, for he was grieved 
for David, because his father had said these things of him. 

The next day was the day on which David was to hide out in 
the field, behind the rock that Jonathan had shown him. And 
Jonathan went out at the time he had said, and a little lad went 
with him. And he sent the lad on before him that he might find 
the arrows he would shoot. Then he shot an arrow that passed 
over the lad. And Jonathan cried out loud, saying, The arrow 
is beyond thee; make haste; stay not. And David heard the 
words in the place where he was hidden, and he knew from those 
words that he must flee, because Saul meant to kill him. 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



265 



And the lad gathered up the arrows and brought them to Jon- 
athan, but he did not know why Jonathan had shot them, and 
called out after him. Jonathan gave his bow and arrows 
to the lad, and said, Go, carry them to the city. As soon as he 
was gone, David came out from his hiding-place, and he bowed 




PARTING OF DAVID AND JONATHAN 



down with his face to the ground, before Jonathan, three times. 
Then they came together and kissed one another, and wept with 
one another. And Jonathan told David to flee, and he helped 
him to escape from his father; because he loved David, and they 
had made a covenant together that they would be kind to each 
other, and to each other's children, forever. Then David rose 
up and fled from Saul. And Jonathan went back to the city. 



266 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



CHAPTERS XXI-XXV (21-25) 

DAVID FLEES TO AHIMELECH, THE HIGH PRIEST. SAUL COMMANDS THAT 
ALL THE PHILISTINES SHALL BE SLAIN. DAVID AND JONATHAN MAKE A 
COVENANT TOGETHER. DAVID CUTS OFF A PIECE OF SAUL'S ROBE IN 
THE CAVE. NABAL OFFENDS DAVID. DAVID MARRIES ABIGAIL. 

David came to the city of Nob, where the tabernacle was 
at that time, for the people had moved it from Shiloh after 
the ark was taken by the Philistines. And Ahimelech, the high 
priest, asked David why he had come. Then David was afraid 
to say that he had fled from Saul, lest some one might send word 
for Saul to come and take him. So he was tempted to tell an 
untruth. He said that the king had sent him on a secret 
errand, but had commanded him to tell no one what it was. 
David sinned when he said this. The Lord who had saved 
him from the lion and the bear, and from Goliath the Philis- 
tine, was able to save him from Saul. He should have spoken 
the truth and trusted in him. 

And some young men, who were the friends of David, had 
come with him. Therefore he asked Ahimelech for five loaves 
of bread, that they might have something to eat. Ahimelech 
answered that no bread was there excepting the shew-bread, 
which, as we have been told, the priests placed each week on 
the golden table. And Ahimelech gave this to David. 

Now there was at the tabernacle a man named Doeg ; he was 
not one of the children of Israel, but had come from the land of 
Edom; and was hired by Saul to take care of his cattle. Doeg 
saw David while he talked with Ahimelech. And David said to 
Ahimelech, Is there not here a spear, or sword, that I may have ? 
for I have not brought my sword or my weapons with me. The 
high priest answered, The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom 
thou slewest, is here, wrapped in a cloth; if thou dost want it, 
take it, for there is no other. David said, Give it to me. 

And David arose and fled from the tabernacle, because he 
feared that Saul would find him. And he came to the city of 
the Philistines, called Gath. The king of that city was named 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 267 

Achish. When his servants saw David, they knew him and 
brought him to the king, saying, Is not this David ? Did not the 
women of Israel sing to each other, saying, Saul has slain thou- 
sands, but David has slain ten thousands of the Philistines? 
Then David was afraid, and pretended he had lost his senses: 
he scrabbled on the doors, and behaved strangely before 
them. And king Achish saw him, and said to his servants, 
You see the man is mad; why, then, have you brought him 
to me? Have I need of madmen, that you have brought 
him? Shall such a fellow as this come into my house? So 
they let him go. 

And he fled from Gath, and went into a great cave, called the 
cave of Adullam, and lived there. When his brethren and his 
parents heard of it, they came to him, and others who were will- 
ing to help him came also, until he had with him about four 
hundred men. But David's father and mother were old, and 
he wished them to be in a better place than the cave where he 
was hidden, yet he would not send them back to their home in 
Bethlehem, because the Philistines were there. Therefore he 
went to the king of Moab, and said to him, Let my father and 
my mother, I pray thee, come and stay in thy land, until I shall 
find out what God will do for me. And the king said they 
might; so David brought his father and mother, and they stayed 
with the king of Moab as long as David was in the cave. 

And David remembered the time when he used to live at 
Bethlehem, when he was a boy, tending his father's sheep, and 
before all his troubles had come upon him. And he thought of 
the well by the gate, that he used to drink of then. He 
longed for it, and said, O, that some one would give me a drink 
from the well that is by the gate of Bethlehem. Then three of 
his men who heard him speak, went and broke through the host 
of the Philistines and drew water from the well and brought it 
to David. But when he remembered how they had risked their 
lives to get it for him, he would not drink of it, but poured it out 
on the ground as an offering to the Lord. 

And a prophet, named Gad, came to David, and said to him, 
Stay no longer in the cave, but go back into the land of Judah. 



268 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Then David went into that land, and lived in a wood. Now Saul 
was in the city of Gibeah; he rested there under a tree, with his 
spear in his hand, while his servants were standing about him. 
And he spoke to them, saying, that they were not his friends any 
longer, but his enemies, because they would not tell him what 
David and Jonathan were going to do against him. 




DAVID POURS OUT THE WATER FROM THE WELL AT BETHLEHEM 

ThenDoeg, the Edomite, spoke to Saul, and said that he had 
seen David at the tabernacle, and that Ahimelech, the high priest, 
had given him bread, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 
So the king sent for Ahimelech, and for all the priests who 
were with him; and they came to the king. And Saul asked 
Ahimelech why he had helped David to rise up against him, 
and given him bread and a sword. Ahimelech answered that he 
had not helped David to rise up against Saul; for he did not 
know, when David came to the tabernacle, that he was fleeing 
from Saul, or that the king was seeking to slay him. 

But Saul was very angry, and said, Thou shalt surely be put 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 269 

to death, Ahimelech, thou and all thy relations. And he turned 
to the soldiers that stood near him, saying, Slay the priests, be- 
cause they are on David's side, and when they knew where he had 
fled, they would not tell me. But the soldiers refused to obey 
him. Then he said to Doeg, the Edomite, Do thou slay them. 
And that wicked man rose up and slew eighty-five men who were 
priests. He went to the city of Nob also, where the tabernacle 
was, and where the priests lived, and slew all whom he found 
there. But one of Ahimelech's sons, named Abiathar, escaped 
and fled to David, and told him what Saul had done. David 
answered, I knew, when Doeg, the Edomite, saw me at the 
tabernacle that he would surely tell Saul. It is my fault 
that thy father and all thy relations have been slain. Then 
he asked Abiathar to stay there, and promised that no one 
should harm him. 

After this, some one told David that the Philistines had come 
into the land of Judah, and were fighting against the city of 
Keilah, and robbing the people of their grain. Then David 
asked the Lord whether he should go and fight against them. 
The Lord answered, Go, and destroy the Philistines, and save 
Keilah. But the men who were with David feared to go. 
Then David asked the Lord again, and the Lord told him 
to go, for he would give him the victory. So David and his 
men went and fought with the Philistines, and overcame them, 
and saved the people of Keilah. 

And it was told Saul that David had gone into Keilah. Then 
he said, I shall now surely take him, for my soldiers will sur- 
round the city on every side, so that he cannot escape. And 
Saul called all his army together to go down to take David. 
When David heard of it, he asked the Lord whether Saul would 
certainly come. The Lord said, He will come down. Then 
David asked whether the people who lived in Keilah, and whom 
he had saved from the Philistines, would fight for him against 
Saul, or whether they would give him up. And the Lord an- 
swered, They will give thee up. 

Then David and his men (there were, by this time, about six 
hundred with him) went out of Keilah, to flee to any place they 



2 yo THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

could find where they might hide from Saul. When Saul heard 
that David had fled, he did not go to Keilah after him. Yet he 
tried every day to find him, but God saved him out of Saul's 
hand. And David hid in a wood. One day Jonathan 
came to him there, and spoke kindly to him, saying, Fear not, 
for Saul, my father, shall not find thee, and thou shalt yet be 
king over Israel. And again they made a covenant together, 
promising never to harm one another. Afterward Jonathan 
went away to his own home, but David stayed in the wood. 

And the people called Ziphites came to Saul, and said they 
would show him where David was. Then Saul and his men went 
with them to seek him. But when they had almost taken David, 
a messenger came to Saul, saying, Make haste and come back, 
for the Philistines have come into thy land. And Saul had to 
go to fight against the Philistines; thus the Lord saved David 
this time also; and he fled into the wilderness. 

When Saul returned from following the Philistines, it was 
told him where David had gone. Then he chose three thousand 
of his soldiers, and took them into the wilderness to hunt for 
David among the rocks, where the wild goats lived. And he 
came to a cave. Now David and his men were hidden in the 
sides of the cave, but Saul could not see them. And Saul walked 
alone into the cave. While he was there, David's men wanted 
him to rise up and kill Saul. But he would not, for although 
Saul wanted to kill David, David did not want to kill him. 
Instead of this he was willing to obey him, and do all that he 
commanded, because Saul was still king. Therefore David 
would not slay Saul, yet he went up softly behind him, while he 
was in the cave, and cut off a piece of his robe and took it away 
in his hand, but Saul did not know it. 

When Saul went out of the cave, David followed him and 
cried aloud, saying, My lord, the king. And Saul looked round 
to see who it was. Then David bowed down with his face to 
the earth before him, and asked why Saul listened to the wicked 
men who told him that David wanted to do him harm. On that 
day, David said, he might have killed Saul, and some of his 
men wanted him to do it, but he had told them he would not 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 271 

kill his master, whom the Lord had made king. Then David 
held up the piece of robe which he had cut off, and said, See this 
piece of thy robe in my hand! Since I was so near thee as to 
cut it off, but did not kill thee, thou mayest know that I would 
not do thee evil. Yet thou art hunting me to put me to death. 
Let the Lord judge between us, and see which one is doing 
wrong, and let him punish thee for thy cruelty to me, but I will 
not do thee any harm. 

When Saul heard David speaking so kindly to him, the feel- 
ing of hatred went out of his heart, and he said, Is this thy 
voice, my son David? and he wept. Then he said to David, 
Thou art more righteous than I because thou hast done good to 
me, but I have done evil to thee; and thou hast shown me kind- 
ness this day, for when I was in thy power thou didst not kill 
me. May the Lord reward thee for the good thou hast done. 
And now I know well that thou shalt some day be king over 
Israel. Promise me, therefore, before the Lord, that thou wilt 
not slay my children after I am dead. And David promised 
that he would not. Then Saul went away to his own home, but 
David and his men stayed out in the wilderness. 

And Samuel died, and all the children of Israel gathered to- 
gether to mourn for him, and they buried him at Ramah, the 
city where he had lived. 

After Samuel was dead, David went down to the wilderness 
of Paran. And there was in that country a very rich man, who 
had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats ; his name was 
Nabal, and his wife's name Abigail. She was a kind and a 
beautiful woman, and acted wisely and prudently; but he was 
ill-natured and foolish, and did what was evil. 

Now David and his men had their camp near the place where 
Nabal's flocks were feeding, and David's men were very good to 
Nabal, for although they wanted food to eat, they never took a 
sheep or a goat from him, nor allowed others to do so, neither 
did they harm his shepherds. And Nabal went to shear his 
sheep at Carmel. When David heard of it, he spoke to ten of 
his young men, saying, Go up to Carmel and speak kindly to 
Nabal, and ask if he will not give us some food? And they 



2 72 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

went and spoke as David had told them. But Nabal answered, 
Who is David ? There are plenty of servants now-a-days that 
run away from their masters as he has done. Shall I take my 
bread, and the meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give 
it to men who have come from I know not where ? 

So David's young men came back to him and told him all 
that Nabal had spoken. Then David said to his men, Gird on 
every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword, and 
there went up after him about four hundred men ; for two hun- 
dred stayed to guard the things that were in their camp. And 
David was very angry, and told his men that he had kept 
Nabal's flocks safe all the time they were out in the wilder- 
ness, so that none of them were lost; yet now, when he spoke 
kindly to him and asked him for food, he would give none, but 
returned only evil for the good that had been done to him. 
And David said he would go to Carmel and punish Nabal with 
a very great punishment. 

Then he started to go to Nabal's house. But before he had 
come there, one of Nabal's young men went to Abigail, Nabal's 
wife, and told her how David had sent messengers to Nabal, and 
how unkindly Nabal had treated them. Yet David's men were 
very good to us, the young man said, when we were out in the 
wilderness. We were not harmed by them, neither missed we 
anything, but they kept us safe by night and by day, all the 
time we were near them keeping the sheep. Then the young 
man told Abigail to think what she should do, because David 
would surely come and punish them for Nabal's unkindness. 

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of 
bread, and two bottles of wine, five sheep, ready killed, and five 
measures of parched corn; one hundred clusters of raisins, and 
two hundred cakes of figs, and put them upon asses. And she 
said to her servants, Go on before me, and I will come after you. 
But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 

And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came by a 
shady place of the hill, and there she met David and his men 
coming toward her. When she saw him, she got down from 
the ass, and bowed before him with her face to the ground, saying, 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



273 



I pray thee, let me speak, and hear what I say; but mind 
not the evil words that Nabal has spoken. She said also, Let 
this present, which I have brought, be given to thy young men. 
And she begged that David would forgive her for coming to him. 
The Lord would certainly bless him, she said, and save him 
from Saul. And when the Lord should have done as he prom- 




ABTGAIL BRINGS A PRESENT TO DAVID 



ised, and made him king over Israel, then Abigail said, David 
would not be sorry that he had listened to her, and let her per- 
suade him to stay away from Nabal's house, and not go there to 
put Nabal to death. 

David listened to her words, and, when she was done 
speaking, he thanked the Lord for sending her to meet him, and 
for the good advice she had given him, because it had kept him 
from going on in his anger to kill Nabal. So he took the pres- 
ent which Abigail brought, and spoke kindly to her, and sent 
18 



274 . THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

her safely away; and he and his men went back to their 

camp. 

When Abigail came to her home, Nabal was holding a great 
feast there and was drunken. Therefore she said nothing to him 
until the morning. Then when she told him of the danger he 
had been in, he was greatly afraid, and' all his strength went 
from him, so that he lay helpless and without moving, like a 
stone. And about ten days afterward he died. When David 
heard that Nabal was dead, he thanked the Lord again for keep- 
ing him from going to Nabal's house in his anger. David said, 
Blessed be the Lord, who has kept me from doing evil. 

And David loved Abigail, and sent messengers to ask that she 
• would be his wife. When they came to her house, they said, 
David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to be his wife. And 
she bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Let me 
be his servant. Then she made haste, and rode upon an ass, and 
five of her handmaidens went with her ; and she followed after 
the messengers of David, and came to him and was his wife. 



CHAPTERS XXVI-XXXI (26-31) 

SAUL HUNTS DAVID IN THE WILDERNESS. DAVID, BY NIGHT, TAKES AWAY 
SAUL'S SPEAR AND CRUSE OF WATER. THE PHILISTINES BRING AN 
ARMY AGAINST SAUL. SAUL INQUIRES OP A WOMAN WHO HAS A FAMILIAR 
SPIRIT. HE AND HIS SONS ARE SLAIN. 

The people called Ziphites, who once before had helped 
Saul to find David, came again, and told him where David 
was hidden out in the wilderness. Now Saul's wicked heart was 
not changed ; although the feelings of hatred had left it for a 
little while, when David spared his life at the cave, yet those 
feelings soon came back, so that he wanted to kill him as much 
as ever. Therefore, when the Ziphites told where David was 
hidden, Saul took three thousand men and went out into the 

wilderness to find him. 

And David heard of it and sent out spies to watch for him, 
and they brought back word that Saul had come indeed. Then 
David went secretly near to the place where Saul made his 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



275 



camp; and he said to the men who were with him, Who will go 
down with me to Saul in his camp? And Abishai, David's 
nephew, answered, I will go with thee. So David and Abishai 
came down in the night. And Saul lay sleeping in the camp, 
with his spear stuck into the ground by his pillow; and Abner, 
the captain of Saul's army, and the rest of his soldiers were 




DAVID AND ABISHAI FIND SAUL SLEEPING 



sleeping around him. Then Abishai asked David to let him 
kill Saul. He would strike the sharp spear through his body 
into the ground, he said, and would not have to do it a second 
time. But David answered, Destroy him not, for who can 
kill the Lord's anointed without sin? He called Saul the 
Lord's anointed, because it was the Lord who commanded 
Samuel to anoint him as king. 

And David told Abishai that the Lord might kill Saul, or 



276 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

that the time might come for him to die, or he might be killed 
in battle, but that he would not kill him. Then David said to 
Abishai, But I pray thee take the spear that is by his pillow, 
and the cruse (or bottle) of water, and let us go. So they took 
the spear and cruse of water from Saul's pillow, and left him; 
and no man saw them, or knew of it, because the Lord had sent 
a deep sleep upon Saul and his men. Then David went and 
stood on the top of a hill, a good way off. And he cried to 
Saul's men, and to Abner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? 
And Abner awaked out of his sleep, and answered, Who art 
thou that criest to the king. David said, Why hast thou not 
kept better watch over the king, thy master, that no one should 
come into the camp to kill him? Now see where the king's 
spear is, and the cruse of water that was by his pillow. 

And Saul heard David speaking, and knew his voice, and said, 
Is this thy voice, my son David? David answered, It is my 
voice, my lord, O king. Then David asked Saul what he had 
done, and how he had sinned, that Saul still followed after him 
to kill him. If he had been wicked, he was willing to confess 
his fault, and to offer up a sacrifice that he might be forgiven. 
But if Saul was following him only because evil men persuaded 
him to do it, David prayed that the Lord would punish those 
men; and he begged Saul not to slay him. 

Then Saul said, I have sinned; come back, my son David, 
for I will no more do thee harm. I have done wrong exceed- 
ingly. David answered, See the king's spear , let one of his 
young men come over and take it. And David told Saul how 
he might have killed him that day, but he would not. Then 
David prayed to the Lord that he would save him out of all his 
troubles. And Saul heard him, and spoke kindly to him, and 
did not try to do him any harm. So David went away, and 
Saul came back to his own home. 

But though Saul spoke kindly to him, David did not believe 
his words, for he had spoken so before, and wept, and called 
him his son, yet afterward had come out with three thousand 
men to take him. Therefore David thought that Saul would 
never stop seeking after him. He said to himself, He will surely 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 277 

find me some day, and kill me. There is nothing better for 
me to do than to flee into the land of the Philistines ; then Saul 
will give up looking for me, so I shall escape out of his hand. 

And David arose and went with his six hundred men into the 
land of the Philistines, to the city of Gath. And Achish, the 
king, when he saw them, hoped to make them his servants; 
therefore he let them stay in his land and gave them a city, 
called Ziklag, to live in. When it was told Saul that David 
had fled, he sought no more after him. David was in the land 
of the Philistines a year and four months. While he was there, 
all the Philistines gathered their armies together to fight against 
Saul. And Achish said to David, Thou stialt go out with me 
to the battle, thou and thy men. He wanted David to go with 
the Philistines and fight against Saul and the children of Israel. 
But David did not say he would go. 

The Philistines came and made their camp at a place 
called Shunem; and Saul and all the men of Israel made their 
camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he 
trembled, for he was greatly afraid. And he asked of the Lord 
what he should do; but the Lord did not answer him, neither 
did he send any prophet to answer him. 

Now there were at that time in the land of Israel, persons who 
had evil spirits that would come when they called them. Then 
they talked with the spirits, and questioned them about what 
would happen in the future, and asked the spirits to help them 
in doing things that were wicked. These spirits were called 
familiar spirits. It was a great sin to have a familiar spirit. 
The Lord commanded that all those persons who had them 
should be put to death, and he forbade the people from going 
to such persons to inquire, or ask any questions: and Saul had 
sent many who had them out of the land. But now he was in 
great trouble. He had asked the Lord what he should do against 
the Philistines, and the Lord would not answer him. Then he 
said to his servants, Seek for me a woman that hath a familiar 
spirit, that I may go to her and ask. His servants answered, 
There is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. 

Then Saul put on other raiment, that no one might know him, 



27S 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



and took two men with him, and came to the woman by night; 
but she knew not that it was Saul. And he asked her to let the 
familiar spirit bring up for him a man who was dead, but whom 
he wanted to speak with. Saul should have known that the evil 
spirit could not bring up a man from the dead: God alone can 
do that. Yet Saul said, Bring up the one I shall name to thee. 




SAUL VISITS THE WITCH OF ENDOR 



The woman asked, Whom shall I bring up to thee ? Saul an- 
swered, Bring me up Samuel. Then Samuel, who had been 
dead and buried for years, rose up before them. But it was not 
the evil spirit that brought him up; the Lord sent him to speak 
with Saul. And Saul stooped with his face to the earth, and 
bowed himself down to the ground. 

And Samuel said to him, Why hast thou disturbed me to 
bring me up? Saul answered, I am sore distressed, for the 
Philistines make war against me, and God has gone away from 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 279 

me, and answers me no more ; therefore I have called thee, that 
thou mayest tell me what I shall do. Samuel said, Why dost 
thou ask of me, seeing the Lord has gone from thee, and become 
thine enemy? For the Lord has done to thee what I told thee 
he would do ; he has put thee away from being king, and made 
David king, because thou didst not obey him. And now he will 
give the Philistines the victory over thee, and over all the army 
of Israel ; to-morrow thou and thy sons shall be with me among 
the dead. 

Then Saul fell down to the earth, and was greatly afraid, 
because of the words that Samuel had spoken, and there was no 
strength left in him; for he had eaten nothing all that day, nor 
all the night before. And the woman came to him and saw his 
distress, and she said, I pray thee, let me set food before thee, 
that thou mayest eat and gain strength before thou goest on thy 
way. But he refused and said, I will not eat. Then his servants 
and the woman begged him, until he consented. So he rose up 
from the earth and sat upon the bed. And the woman had a fat 
calf that she made haste to kill, and she took flour and kneaded 
it and made bread. And she brought it and set it before Saul 
and his servants, and they did eat. Then they rose up and went 
away that night. 

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered all their armies 
together at Aphek. And Achish, the king of Gath, came there 
and brought David and his six hundred men with him. But 
when the lords of the Philistines saw them, they said, What are 
these Hebrews doing here? Achish answered them, This is 
David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been 
with me now for a long while, and I have found no fault in 
him from the time he came until this day. But the lords of 
the Philistines were angry at Achish for bringing David; they 
said to him, Make this fellow go back, and let him not come 
with us to the battle, lest he turn and fight against us to please 
Saul, his master. Then Achish called David and told him, 
saying, Therefore now go back, that thou displease not the 
lords of the Philistines. So David and his men rose up early 
in the morning and went away from the camp. 



2 8o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

On the third day, they came to their homes in Ziklag, but 
they found their houses burned with fire, for the Amalekites had 
been there and destroyed the city, and carried away their wives 
and children captives. Then the men of Israel wept till they 
could weep no more; and David was greatly distressed, for his 
men were angry because he had taken them from their homes 
to go with Achish, and they talked about stoning him; but he 
trusted in the Lord his God. 

And David called Abiathar, the high priest, and told him to 
ask the Lord for him, saying, Shall I go after the Amalekites, 
and shall I come up with them ? The Lord answered, Go after 
them, for thou shalt surely come up with them, and get back all 
they have taken. So David went with his six hundred men, till 
they came to the brook Besor ; there two hundred of them stayed, 
because they were so weary and faint they could go no further. 
But David followed on, he and four hundred men. 

And they found a man who was sick, alone in a field, and 
they gave him bread x and water, also a piece of a cake of figs 
and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten he grew 
stronger, for he had taken no food for three days and three 
nights. And David said to him, From what place hast thou 
come? and to whom dost thou belong? He answered I am a 
young man of Egypt, the servant to an Amalekite, and my 
master left me three days ago when I fell sick. 

Then he told David what the Amalekites had done, and how 
they burned Ziklag with fire. David asked him, Canst thou 
bring us to the place where they now are? The young man 
said, Promise me, before God, that you will not kill me nor 
give me back to my master, and I will bring you there. And 
David promised him. So he brought them to the place. When 
they came there, the Amalekites were scattered over the ground, 
eating, and drinking, and dancing, because of the spoil they 
had taken from Ziklag, and from other places where they had 
been to rob the people. And David and his men fought against 
them, and slew them, so that none of them escaped, except four 
hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. And the 
men of Israel got back their wives and their children, and all 



THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL 



281 



the spoil that the Amalekites had taken, as the Lord said they 
should. They took also the flocks and the herds which the 
Amalekites had with them. 

David and his men returned to the brook Besor, and the 
two hundred men whom they had left there came out to meet 
them. Then some of David's men, who were selfish and wicked, 
said, Because these two hundred went not with us, we will not give 




SAUL IS OVERCOME BY THE PHILISTINES AND FALLS ON HIS SWORD 

them any of the spoil we have taken; except to every man we 
will give his wife and his children, that they may go away from 
us. But David answered them, Ye shall not do so, my brethren. 
Then he told them that all should share alike — those who were 
left behind and those who went down to the battle. 

And the lords of the Philistines, after David had left their 
camp, went out and fought against Saul and the men of Israel. 
And the men of Israel fled from them, and many fell down slain 



282 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

on mount Gilboa. The Philistines followed hard after Saul; 
and they slew Jonathan and two other of Saul's sons. And the 
battle went greatly against him. The archers with their bows 
and arrows hit him, and he was sorely wounded by the archers. 
Then he said to his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword and put me 
to death, because I fear the Philistines may take me and treat 
me cruelly. But his armor-bearer was afraid, and would not. 
Then Saul took his own sword and stood it on the ground with 
its point upward; and he fell upon it, on purpose, so that it ran 
into his body and killed him. 

When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell 
upon his sword and died. So Saul died, and his three sons and 
his armor-bearer, and great numbers of his men, that same day 
together. And the Philistines gained the victory, as Samuel 
had told Saul they should. As soon as the children of Israel 
who lived in that part of the land heard how their army had 
fled, they fled also, and the Philistines came and lived in the 
cities they had left. 

The next day, when the Philistines went to strip off the rai- 
ment of the men whom they had killed in the battle, they found 
Saul and his three sons lying dead on mount Gilboa. Then 
they cut off Saul's head and took off his armor, and sent word 
through the land of the Philistines, so that all their people might 
hear of it, and know that Saul was dead, and that the children 
of Israel had been driven out of their country. They put Saul's 
armor in the house of their idol, Ashtaroth, and fastened up his 
dead body, and the dead bodies of his sons, to the wall of the 
city of Beth-shan. 

But when the Israelites, who lived in Jabesh-gilead, heard 
what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the brave men of 
that city arose, and went all night till they came to Beth-shan. 
And they took down the dead bodies of Saul and his sons from 
the wall, and brought them to Jabesh; there they burnt them, 
and then took their bones and buried them under a tree. For 
Saul had been very kind to the people of Jabesh-gilead many 
years before, when he came with an army and saved them from 
the Ammonites. 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 283 

THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 



CHAPTERS I-IX (1-9) 
(1 Chronicles xiii (13)) 

DAVID HEARS THAT SAUL AND JONATHAN ARE DEAD. HE GOES TO HEBRON, 
AND IS MADE KING FIRST OVER JUDAH, THEN OVER ALL ISRAEL. HE 
TAKES THE CITY OF JERUSALEM AND BRINGS THE ARK THERE. HIS 
KINDNESS TO MEPHIBOSHETH. 

David was still at Ziklag. He did not know that the Phil- 
istines had fought with the men of Israel, and gained the victory 
over them. But there came to Ziklag a man with his clothes 
rent and with earth upon his head, as though he were in great 
distress. When he saw David he bowed down to the ground 
before him. And David asked him from what place he had 
come. The man said, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 
David asked him how the battle went. He answered, The 
men of Israel have fled and many of them are slain, and Saul 
and Jonathan are dead also. 

David said to the young man, How knowest thou that Saul 
and Jonathan are dead? The young man answered, As I hap- 
pened, by chance, to be upon mount Gilboa in the battle, Saul 
stood there leaning on his spear, while the Philistines with their 
chariots and horsemen were coming swiftly upon him to kill 
him. When he looked behind him he saw me and called me; 
I answered, Here am I. And he spoke to me, saying, Come, 
I pray thee, and put me to death, for I am grieved that my 
life is still in me. So I went to him and slew him, because I 
was sure that he could not live. And I took the crown that 
was on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and 
have brought them to thee. 

But what the young man told David was not true; for, as 
we have read, Saul had killed himself. The young man said 
that he had killed him, because he thought it would please 
David, and that David would reward him for saying so. But 
David was not pleased. He took hold of his clothes and rent 
them- and all the men who were with him rent their clothes. 



284 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And they mourned and wept for Saul, and for Jonathan his 
son, and for the men of Israel, because so many of them had 
been slain. And David asked the young man where his home 
was, and to what country he belonged. He answered that he 
was not one of the children of Israel, but an Amalekite. Then 
David asked him why he was not afraid" to kill Saul, whom the 
Lord had chosen to be king over the people. And David said 
that the young man should die for his sin, and that the fault 
was his own, because he had confessed with his own mouth that 
he had slain the king of Israel. 

After this David asked the Lord whether he should leave the 
land of the Philistines and go back to the land of Israel. And 
the Lord said he should go. Then David asked to what part 
of the land he should go. The Lord told him, To the city of 
Hebron. Now David belonged to the tribe of Judah, and 
Hebron was one of the cities of that tribe; for as we have read, 
Joshua gave to each of the twelve tribes a part of the land for 
its own, and Hebron was in that part which he gave to the tribe 
of Judah. 

And David, who was now thirty years old, went up out of 
Ziklag to the city of Hebron. And the chief men of the tribe of 
Judah came to Hebron and made him king over that tribe. 
But the other tribes did not come, because one of Saul's sons, 
whose name was Ish-bosh-eth, and who was not slain in the bat- 
tle, still ruled over them. Ish-bosh-eth ruled over the other 
tribes for seven years after Saul was dead. Then one day, as he 
lay on his bed, about noon, two of his captains came into his 
house, pretending they wanted only to bring in some wheat, but 
when they had come into his chamber, they slew him. 

And they cut off his head and fled away with it all night to 
Hebron, where David was. Then they brought it to David, say- 
ing, Behold we have brought thee the head of Ish-bosh-eth, the 
son of Saul, who was thy enemy, and wanted to kill thee. But 
David was greatly displeased ; he told them that when he was 
living at Ziklag, and a young man came to him, and said he had 
killed Saul, thinking that David would reward him for it, instead 
of rewarding him he had put him to death. So now, David said, 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 



285 



these two men who had killed Ish-bosh-eth, Saul's son, when he 
was doing no wrong, should be put to death for their sin. And 
he commanded that they should be slain. But he sent away the 
head of Ish-bosh-eth to be buried in a sepulchre. 

When the other tribes saw that Ish-bosh-eth, who had 
ruled over them, was dead, they also came to David in Hebron, 
and made him their king. So, at last, David was king over all 
the tribes of Israel. 




DAVID IS MADE KING AT HEBRON 



David went with his army to the city of Jerusalem. The 
men of Israel had, before this time, taken a part of that city from 
the people of the land, but not all of it. There was a strong fort, 
or castle, on the mountain called Zion, in which those people 
still lived. But now David took this also from them, and went 
and lived in the castle himself, which he called the city of 
David. And he came to be a very great man, for the Lord 
helped him in all that he did. The king of a city called 



286 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Tyre was his friend. This king's name was Hiram. His people 
knew well how to work in wood and stone. And Hiram sent 
builders and carpenters to David, and they built a house for 
him in Jerusalem. 

We have been told that after the Philistines sent back the ark 
to the land of Israel, it was carried to the" city of Kirjath-jearim, 
and left there in the house of a man named Abinadab. It had 
been in Abinadab's house ever since that time — for more than 
seventy years — because the people had grown careless about it 
and neglected it. But now David spoke to them, and asked 
them to come with him and get it, and bring it to Jerusalem. 
Then David went, and the people with him, and they took the 
ark out of Abinadab's house and set it on a new cart, to bring 
it to Jerusalem. 

Now the ark was a very holy thing. We have read that when 
it was first brought inside of the tabernacle, God came in a 
cloud, into the tabernacle, above the ark, and there he dwelt in 
the cloud over the mercy-seat. We have read also that when 
the children of Israel went on their journey through the wilder- 
ness, and took the ark with them, they were not allowed to put 
it into a cart, but it was carried on the Levites' shoulders. And 
the Levites themselves were not allowed to come near it, until 
the priests had covered it with the curtains of the tabernacle. 
For none but the priests were permitted to touch it or even to 
look upon it uncovered. All other persons were forbidden to do 
so, lest they might die. Therefore when David wanted to bring 
the ark up to Jerusalem, he should not have laid it on a cart. 
Yet he did this; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, 
drove the cart. 

But when they came to the threshing-floor of Nachon, the oxen 
that drew the ark stumbled and shook it; and Uzzah stretched 
out his hand and took hold of it, which God had said should 
not be done. Then the Lord was angry with Uzzah for doing 
this, and put him to death there beside the ark. 

And David was displeased because the Lord had put Uzzah 
to death. He was afraid, also, that some punishment might be 
sent upon him. So he took the ark no further, but stopped on 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 



287 



the way, before he came to Jerusalem, and left it in the house of 
Obed-edom, a Levite. It was in Obed-edom's house for three 
months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his family 
while it was there. When David heard how the Lord blessed 
him because the ark was in his house, he called for the priests and 
Levites, and told them to make ready to bring up the ark, and put 
it into the tent which he had made for it in Jerusalem; for he 




THE DEATH OF UZZAH BESIDE THE ARK 



said, because they had not brought it up the first time, the Lord 
was displeased and Uzzah had been put to death. 

Then David and all the people with him, went to bring up 
the ark out of Obed-edom's house. But now he commanded the 
Levites to carry it on their shoulders. David was clothed in a 
robe of white linen, and so were the Levites who carried the ark, 
and those who were chosen to sing praises to the Lord. And 
they brought up the ark with shoutings and the sound of 
trumpets, and cymbals and harps. As soon as the Levites who 
carried it had started and gone a few steps, David offered up 



288 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



sacrifices to the Lord. And the Bible tells us that he danced 
before the Lord with all his might; that is, he was so glad m 
being allowed to bring up the ark that he felt as though he 
could not walk quietly along, but must leap and dance for joy. 
But Michal, his wife, looked out of a window and saw him leap- 




DAVID REJOICES WHEN THE ARK IS BROUGHT TO JERUSALEM 



ing and dancing, and she despised him for it in her heart. And 
she told him that he, who was a king, made himself look mean 
and humble before his servants by doing so. But David said it 
was before the Lord he had done it, and that he was willing 
to make himself still more humble and mean before him. 

So they brought the ark to Jerusalem and set it in the tent 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 289 

which David made for it. Then David offered up more sacri- 
fices, burnt offerings and peace offerings. As soon as he had done 
this, he blessed the people, and he gave to each one, to the women 
as well as the men, a good piece of flesh, a loaf of bread, and 
a cake of pressed grapes. And when they had received these 
things, they went away every man to his own home. 

But as David sat in the beautiful house which he had built 
for himself at Jerusalem, and remembered how the ark was 
kept in a tent, he felt in his heart that he would love to build 
a house yet more beautiful than his own, in which to keep the 
ark. Now there was at that time among the children of Israel 
a prophet named Nathan, and David told Nathan of what he 
wanted to do. Nathan said to him, Do all that is in thine heart, 
for the Lord is with thee to help thee. But that night the 
Lord spoke to Nathan, and said that he should tell David 
not to build the house. Yet the Lord was not displeased with 
David for wanting to build it, but he said that David's son, 
who would be king after him, should build the house for the 
ark. So David did not go on to build it, but left it for his son 
to build, as the Lord commanded. 

And David went out to war against the heathen kings around 
him, and gained the victory over them, and took from them great 
numbers of horses and chariots, and much gold and silver. Of 
the gold and silver, he gave a part into the treasury of the Lord. 
The Lord was with him to prosper him, wherever he went; 
and he ruled justly over all his people. 

Now that he was grown so rich and great, David remem- 
bered how Jonathan, Saul's son, had loved him when he was 
poor and in trouble, and how they had made a covenant together 
to be kind to each other's children. Therefore David sent for a 
man named Ziba, who had been a servant to Saul, and he asked 
Ziba whether any of Jonathan's children were yet alive, because, 
if they were, he wanted to be kind to them for Jonathan's sake. 
Then Ziba told the king that one of Jonathan's sons was still 
living, who was lame in his feet. For on the day that Saul and 
Jonathan were killed in battle, when word of it came to Jona- 
than's house, the little boy's nurse took him up and fled. But 

J 9 



29 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

as she made haste to flee away, he fell out of her arms and was 
hurt, so that ever since he had been lame. Now he was 
grown to be a man, and his name was Me-phib-o-sheth. ^ 

Then David sent for him, and when he came to the king he 
bowed down to the ground before him. And David said, Me- 
phib-o-sheth. He answered, Behold, I dm thy servant. David 
said to him, Fear not, because I have sent for thee; for I will 
surely be kind to thee for thy father's sake, and will give back to 
thee all the land that belonged to Saul, thy grandfather. And 
thou shalt come and eat at my table. Me-phib-o-sheth said to 
the king, What am I, that thou shouldest take any notice of me? 
Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have 
given Me-phib-o-sheth all the land that belonged to Saul. Do 
thou therefore, and thy sons, take care of it, and bring all the 
fruits that grow on it to him. But as for Me-phib-o-sheth, 
he shall stay with me, and always eat at my table, and be as 
one of my sons. So Me-phib-o-sheth lived in Jerusalem, and 
did eat continually at the table of the king. 



CHAPTERS XI-XV (11-15) 

DAVID CAUSES URIAH TO BE SLAIN, AND TAKES URIAH'S WIPE TO BE HIS 
WIFE THE PROPHET TELLS HIM OP HIS SIN. THE SON THAT IS GIVEN 
TO DAVID AND BATHSHEBA DIES. SOLOMON IS BORN. ABSALOM REBELS 
AGAINST HIS PATHER. DAVID PLEES PROM JERUSALEM. 

The captain of David's army was named Joab. And David 
sent Joab with his soldiers to fight against the Ammonites, 
but David stayed in his house at Jerusalem. He went up 
in the cool of the evening to walk upon the roof of his house, 
and he saw, a little way off, a beautiful woman. Then David 
sent a messenger to ask who she was. And some one told him 
that she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite,who had 
gone with Joab to fight against the Ammonites. 

And David sent word to Joab, saying, Send Uriah, the Hit- 
tite, to me. And Joab sent him to David. When he had come, 
David asked him about the war, and spoke kindly to him, pre- 
tending to be his friend. But after three days he sent him back 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 



291 



to the army with a letter for Joab. In the letter David told 
Joab that when the men of Israel went forth to battle, he should 
send Uriah with them, and put him in the most dangerous 
place. But as soon as the Ammonites should come out to meet 
them, all the rest must flee and leave Uriah alone to be slain. 
David did this, so that after Uriah was slain, he might take 
Uriah's wife to be his wife. 




NATHAN TELLS DAVID OF HIS SIN 

So Uriah went back to the army and gave Joab the letter 
which David had sent, but he knew not what was in it. And 
when the men of Israel went out to fight, Joab did as David 
commanded: he set Uriah in the front of the battle, and the 
Ammonites came out against him and slew him. And Joab 
sent word to David that Uriah was slain. Then David brought 
Bathsheba to his house and took her for his wife. But the Lord 
was displeased at what David had done. 



2g2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And the Lord sent Nathan, the prophet, to David. Nathan 
came to him and said, There were two men in one city; one of 
them was rich, and the other poor. The rich man had many 
flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little 
lamb, which he had bought and taken care of; it grew up with 
his children, he fed it from his table, "it drank out of his cup 
and lay in his bosom, and seemed to him like a daughter. 




THE POOR MAN'S LAMB 

There came to the house of the rich man a traveller, who 
rested there from his journey. Then the rich man would not 
take a sheep or a goat from his own flocks, though he had so 
many of them, but he took the poor man's lamb and killed it 
for the traveller to eat. 

When David heard the story which Nathan told him, he was 
very angry, and said, The man who has done this thing shall 
surely be put to death, and he shall give to the poor man four 
lambs for the one he took from him. But Nathan had told this 
story to show David his own wickedness. Nathan said to him 
that he was the one who had done like the rich man. For the 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 



293 



Lord had chosen him to be king over Israel, and had given him 
wives and children, and made him rich and great. Yet he had 
caused Uriah, who was given so much less than himself, to be 
killed by the Ammonites, that he might take Uriah's wife to be 
his wife. Therefore, Nathan said, the Lord would send a dread- 
ful punishment upon David. When Nathan spoke these words, 




iHE liK'H MANS FEAST 



David felt how wicked he had been, and he said, I have sinned 
against the Lord. 

After this God gave a son to David and Bathsheba, and 
David loved the child. But the Lord sent a great sickness upon 
him. Therefore David prayed for him that he might not die. 
David fasted and ate no food, but lay down on the earth all 
night, crying to the Lord. Then the chief men of the city 
came to him persuading him to rise, but he would not; neither 
did he eat with them as he used to do at other times, when they 
came to sit at the table with him. 



294 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



On the seventh day the child died. And David's servants 
feared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, While 
he was yet alive we spoke to the king, but he would not listen 
to us ; how great then will his sorrow be if we tell him that the 
child 'is dead. But when David saw his servants whispering 
together, he knew that the child was dead ; therefore he said to 
them, Is the child dead? They answered, He is dead. 




DAVID PRAYS THAT HIS CHILD MAY NOT DIE 

Then David rose up and washed and dressed himself, and 
went out to the tent where the ark was kept, and there he wor- 
shipped the Lord. Afterward he came into his house and told his 
servants to bring food ; and when they set it before him, he did 
eat. Then his servants were surprised, and asked him why he 
did these things. He wept and would eat nothing, they said, while 
the child was alive, but now, that it was dead, he rose up and 
did eat. David answered, While the child was alive, I fasted 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 295 

and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether God will be kind to 
me and let the child live? But now he is dead, why should I 
fast any more? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to 
him when I die, but he shall never return to me. 

And God gave to David and Bathsheba another son, w T hose 
name was called Solomon, which means Peaceable; and the 
Lord loved him. 

But David had other wives beside Bathsheba, who had chil- 
dren also. One of them had a son named Absalom. He was 
grown up to be a man, and among all the young men of the 
children of Israel, none was so much praised for his beauty as 
he. From his feet to his head there was no fault to be seen in 
him. His hair was so thick and long that when he cut it at the 
end of the year, it weighed as much as two hundred shekels 
of silver. But Absalom was a wicked man, for when his brother 
Amnon sinned against him, he killed him and fled to another 
country, where he stayed three years. Then he came back to 
his own house in Jerusalem. But David would not see him nor 
speak with him, because he had slain his brother. 

After he had lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing his 
father, Absalom sent for Joab, the captain of David's army, be- 
cause he wanted him to go with a message to the king. But 
Joab would not come. And Absalom sent a second time, and 
still he came not. Therefore Absalom told his servants to go 
into Joab's field, and set his grain on fire, and the servants did 
so. Then Joab came and asked him, saying, Why have thy ser- 
vants set my field on fire ? Absalom answered that it was be- 
cause he would not come to take a message for him to the king. 
For, Absalom said, if he could not see the king, he might as 
well have stayed in that land to which he fled, and not have come 
back to Jerusalem at all. Now, therefore, Absalom said, let me 
come before the king, and if I be guilty let him kill me. 

So Joab went to the king and told him. Then the king sent 
for Absalom, and Absalom came and bowed himself with his 
face to the ground before his father. But David did not punish 
him for his sin, as he ought to have done, for when he came 
to him he kissed him. 



296 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

After this Absalom made ready for himself chariots and 
horses, and had fifty men to run before him when he rode 
out in his chariot, so that all the people might see him and 
think him a great man. He rose up early in the morning, also, 
and stood by the gate of the city, and when he saw any man 
coming into the city, to speak with the king and ask some favor 
of him, then Absalom called the man and talked with him, and 
said, that if he were only ruler over the land, the man should 
have all he wanted. And whenever any man bowed down to 
him, because he was the king's son, Absalom put out his hand 
and took hold of him, and kissed him. So he did to all the 
people who came to ask help of the king, and he made them 
think much of him, not because he was a good man, or really 
cared for them, but because he deceived them and made them 
believe he was their friend. 

And he went to the king and said, I pray thee let me go to 
Hebron and pay my vow to the Lord. He pretended that he 
had made a vow to offer up a sacrifice at Hebron, and that 
now he wanted to go there and do it. And the king told him 
he might go, so he arose and went. But it was not to serve the 
Lord that he went, it was to have himself made king instead of 
his father. Therefore he sent spies through all the land to per- 
suade the people to put his father away, and make him king. 
And the spies told the people that, on a certain day, as soon as 
they should hear the sound of the trumpets which Absalom's 
friends would blow, they should cry out, Absalom is king in 
Hebron. He took two hundred men with him out of Jerusalem 
to help him, and sent also for a great man named Ahithophel, 
who was David's counsellor, or adviser. And Ahithophel and 
many of the people went with him. 

And there came a messenger to David, who told him how the 
men of Israel were going after Absalom. Then David was 
afraid, and said to his servants, Arise, and let us flee; make 
haste and go, for fear Absalom may come suddenly and fight 
against the city with the sword. His servants answered, We are 
ready to do whatever the king shall command. And the king 
filed in haste out of Jerusalem, he and his servants, and many of 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 297 

the people of the city, and they passed over the brook Kedron 
and went up toward the wilderness. 

And the priests and Levites brought the ark to carry it with 
David wherever he should go, but David told them to take it 
back into the city again. He said that perhaps the Lord would 
be kind to him, and bring him back also, but if not, he was will- 
ing the Lord should do to him as he saw best. For David felt 
how wicked he had been in causing Uriah to be slain, and in 
taking Uriah's wife to be his wife. He remembered how the 
Lord had said that a great punishment should come upon him. 
And now a great punishment had come upon him, and David 
knew he deserved it, and he was willing to bear it. He went 
out of Jerusalem over the mountain called Olivet, weeping as 
he went, with his head covered and his feet bare. And all the 
men who were with him covered their heads; and they also 
went up, weeping as they went. 

And some one told David that Ahithophel, his counsellor, had 
gone with Absalom, to help him, and advise him what he should 
do to make himself king. Then David prayed that Ahithophel's 
advice might be turned into foolishness, so that it would not do 
Absalom any good. And when David had gone a little way out 
of the city, Hushai, one of his friends, came to meet him and go 
with him, for he loved David and was not willing to leave him. 
But David told him to go back to Jerusalem and stay there till 
Absalom should come. Then, David said, Hushai could watch 
and see what Absalom would do, and send word secretly to him; 
and so he would do David more good than if he should go with 
him. Therefore Hushai went back, as David desired him. 



CHAPTERS XVI-XXIV (16-24) 

SHIMEI CURSES DAVID. ABSALOM FOLLOWS HUSHAl'S ADVICE, AND IS SLAIN 
IN BATTLE. DAVID GRIEVES FOR HIS SON; HE GOES BACK TO JERUSALEM. 
DAVID AND THE PEOPLE SIN AGAINST GOD. THEY ARE PUNISHED BY 
PESTILENCE. 

Now David made haste to flee away from Jerusalem. When 
he reached a place called Bahurim, there came out a man 



298 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



named Shimei, to meet him. Shimei was one of king Saul's rela- 
tives, and because David had been made king instead of Saul 
Shimei hated him, and was glad now to see him in trouble. And 
as he came near, he cursed David and threw stones at him, and 
at those who were with him. When Abishai, David's nephew, 
heard Shimei cursing him, he came to David, saying, Why should 




SHIMEI THROWS STONES AT DAVID 



this man, who is no better than a dog, be allowed to curse my 
lord the king? Let me go over to him, I pray thee, and cut off 
his head. But David would not permit him; for he said that 
the Lord was allowing Shimei to curse him, and that it was part 
of the punishment that the Lord was sending upon him. And 
David said, My own son Absalom is trying to take away my 
life; how much more then, may this man, who is my enemy, be 

expected to do me evil. 

After David had left Jerusalem, Absalom came there, and 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 299 

Ahithophel, the man who had been David's counsellor, was with 
him. And Absalom saw Hushai, David's friend, in the city, 
but he did not know that David had sent him. And Absalom 
asked Ahithophel to advise him what he should do to make him- 
self king. Ahithophel answered, Let me choose twelve thousand 
men, and I will take them and follow after David this night, and 
will come up with him while he is weak and faint, and make him 
afraid. And all who are with him will flee, and I will kill him 
alone. Then, when they see that he is dead, those who have 
obeyed him will come and obey thee, and thou shalt be king 
over all the people. 

Although this advice pleased Absalom, he would not do as 
Ahithophel said until he had asked Hushai what he thought 
w T as the best way. Then Hushai advised him not to go out 
with so few as twelve thousand men, but to wait until he should 
have a great army. Hushai said this because he hoped that 
while Absalom was gathering this army together, David would 
have time to escape to some place where Absalom could not 
take him. 

And the Lord made Absalom believe that Hushai 's advice was 
the best, because the Lord did not mean to let David be slain, 
but he meant to bring evil upon Absalom, and to punish him 
for his great sin in rebelling against his father. Then Hushai, 
as soon as he had done talking with Absalom, went 'to the priests 
in Jerusalem, who were David's friends, and spoke to them 
secretly, saying, Send a messenger quickly to David and tell him 
to make haste and cross over Jordan, lest Absalom's army follow 
after him, to slay him and all who are with him. 

Now there were two young men, sons of the priests, who were 
hiding from Absalom at a place a little way out of the city, and 
a woman went and gave them Hushai's message; then they 
started to take it to David. But a boy saw them and told 
Absalom, and he sent out men after them. And the priests' sons 
came quickly to a house by the way, which had a well in the 
yard. They went down there to hide, and a woman spread a 
covering over the top of the well, and sprinkled corn on the 
covering, so that no one could see that a well was there. When 



3 oo THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Absalom's servants came to the house to look for them, they could 
not find them, and they went back to the city again. Then the 
young men came up out of the well, and carried Hushai's mes- 
sage to David. And David, and all the men who were with him, 
parsed over the river that night ; by morning there was not one 
left who had not passed over Jordan. 

When Ahithophel saw that Absalom would not do as he had 
advised him, he was so displeased and ashamed that he left him 
and went away to his own house. There he put all things_in 
order, and then went and hanged himself. So he died, and was 
buried in his father's sepulchre. 

After David had passed over Jordan, and come into the land 
of Gilead, Barzillai, an old man who lived in that land, and 
others with him, brought wheat and barley, flour, parched 
corn, honey, and butter, and sheep, for David and his men; 
because they said that David's men must be hungry and weary 
after coming so far through the wilderness. 

But Absalom, as soon as he had gathered his army together, 
made haste to follow after his father. Then David counted the 
men who were with him, and set captains over them; Joab he 
made the chief captain. And David said, I will surely go with 
you myself also, to the battle. But the men answered, Thou 
shalt not go with us, for they will care more to take thee than they 
will to take all the rest who shall go out against them. David 
said, Whatever seems best to you I will do: so he stayed in the 
city of Mahanaim, where he and his people had come. 

And he stood by the gate of the city while his men were going 
out to fight; as they passed by him, he spoke to all the captains, 
saying, Deal gently, for my sake, with the young man, even 
with Absalom. So the people went out, and the battle was in 
a wood. And God gave David's army the victory, for they 
slew of Absalom's army twenty thousand men. And Absalom 
rode on a mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of 
a great oak, and Absalom's head was caught among the branches. 
Then the mule that was under him went away, and left him 
there, hanging above the ground. 

And a man in the army saw him, and came to Joab, and said, 




ABSALOM'S DEATH 



3 GI 



3 o2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. Joab said to the man, Why 
didst thou not kill him ? and I would have given thee ten shekels 
of silver, and a girdle. The man answered, Though I should 
have a thousand shekels of silver, I would not kill the king's 
son, because the king commanded us all not to harm Absalom. 
Then Joab said, I cannot stay here to talk with thee. And he 
took three darts in his hand, and went to the place where Absa- 
lom was, and thrust the darts into his body, while he was yet 
alive, hanging in the branches of the oak: afterward ten young 
men, who were servants to Joab, came and slew him. 

Then Joab blew a trumpet for the people to come back from 
following after Absalom's army; because, now that Absalom 
himself was dead, there was no need that any more of his men 
should be slain. And they took Absalom and threw his dead 
body into a pit that was in the wood, and piled a great heap of 
stones over him. And all the men who had been with him fled 

every one to his tent. 

After the battle was over, one of the priest's sons, whose name 
was Ahimaaz, came to Joab, and said, Let me run now into the 
city and tell the king how the Lord has punished his enemies. 
But Joab forbade him, and told another man, named Cushi, to 
go and tell the king. Then Ahimaaz said, I pray thee let me 
also run after Cushi. Joab asked him, Why dost thou want to 
go? But he answered again, Let me run. And Joab said to 
him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by another way, and came near 

to the city before Cushi. 

And David sat at the gate of the city waiting till he should 
hear news from the battle. His watchman had gone up to the 
top of the wall to see if any one were coming, and he saw a 
man running toward the city alone. And he cried out and 
told the king: the king answered, If he is alone, he brings 
word from the army. While the man was coming near, the 
watchman saw another running, and he called, and said, An- 
other man is running toward the city alone The king said, He 
also bringeth news. And the watchman said, I think the running 
of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz, the priest's son. The 
king answered, He is a good man and is bringing good news to us. 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 303 

Then Ahimaaz came to the king and spoke to him, saying, 
All is well. And he bowed down with his face to the earth 
before the king, and said, Blessed be the Lord who has given us 
the victory over the men who rose up to fight against the king. 
And the king asked him, Is the young man Absalom safe ? Ahi- 
maaz answered, When Joab sent me, I saw a great tumult in the 
army, as if something had happened, but I knew not what it 
was. The king said, Step to one side, and stand there. 

Then Cushi, the other messenger, came and spoke to the king, 
saying, I have news, my lord, the king; for the Lord has this 
day punished all those who rebelled against thee. And the 
king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? Cushi answered, 
May all the king's enemies, and all those who wish to do him 
evil, be as that young man is. Then David knew that Absa- 
lom was dead. And he was in great distress, and went up into 
the chamber that was over the gate of the city, and wept; 
and as he went he cried, O my son Absalom! my son, my son 
Absalom! Would that God had let me die instead of thee, O 
Absalom, my son, my son! 

And it was told Joab how the king mourned for Absalom. 
The people also heard of it, and they were afraid to come be- 
fore David while he grieved so much for his son whom they 
had slain. Therefore they stole into the city by another way, 
that he might not see them, like persons who were ashamed 
and fleeing from the battle, instead of those who had just gained 
the victory. But the king kept on mourning; he covered 
his face, and cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom! O 
Absalom, my son, my son! 

And Joab was angry, and he came into the house of the king 
and said, Thou hast made ashamed, this day, all thy servants 
who have fought for thee and saved thy life, and the lives of 
thy wives and of thy children, because thou lovest thy enemies 
more than thou lovest them. For I see plainly that if Absalom 
had been saved alive, and all of us had been slain in the battle, 
it would have pleased thee well. Now, therefore, rise up and 
come and speak kindly to thy servants, for I tell thee if thou 
dost not come out to them, they will all go away and leave thee 



3 o4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

alone, so there will not be a man left with thee this night; and 
that will be worse for thee than all the evil that has happened 
to thee from thy youth until now. Then the king arose and 
went out and sat in the gate of the city. And when the people 
knew of it they all came to him there. 

After this the people who were in Jerusalem sent word to the king, 
saying, Come back to us, thou and all who arewith thee. So David 
left the city of Mahanaim, and started to go back to Jerusalem. 

Now Shimei, who had cursed David, and thrown stones at 
him when he was fleeing from Absalom, heard how he had 
gained the victory, and was going back to Jerusalem. Therefore 
Shimei was afraid for what he had done, and now he came out to 
meet the king. When he saw him he fell down before him, and 
said, Let not the king blame me, nor remember what I did wick- 
edly, for I know that I have sinned. Then Abishai, David's 
nephew, who before had wanted to cut off his head, asked David, 
saying, Shall not Shimei be put to death because he cursed the 
king ? But David answered that none of his enemies should be 
put to death that day, since on that day he was once more made 
king over all the people of Israel. And the king said to Shimei, 

Thou shalt not die. 

And as David went toward Jerusalem, Barzillai, who had 
brought him wheat, and barley, and flour, also came out to meet 
him. And David remembered Barzillai's kindness, and he said 
to him, Come thou with me to Jerusalem, and thou shalt live in 
my house, and I will take care of thee. But Barzillai answered 
that he was a very old man, and had not long to live, and that 
he would not enjoy being in the king's house, or seeing the beau- 
tiful things that were there ; he would rather go back to his own 
city, that he might die where his home was, and be buried by 
the 'grave of his father and mother. Yet, Barzillai said, that 
his son might go with David, if David would have him. David 
answered, He shall go with me, and I will do for him whatever 
will please thee. Then the king kissed Barzillai and blessed 
him, and let him return to his own home. So David came 
back to Jerusalem, and was king as he had been -before, and 
all the people obeyed him. 




DAVID MOURNING FOR ABSALOM 



20 



305 



3 o6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

But after these things the children of Israel sinned against 
the Lord, and David also displeased him. For he commanded 
Joab to go out among the people, and number all the men who 
could fight in war. We are not told why God was displeased 
with David for doing this, but we suppose.it was because David 
felt proud of his great army, and trusted in it to keep his king- 
dom safe, instead of trusting only in the Lord. When he com- 
manded Joab to number the men of Israel, Joab knew it would 
offend God, therefore he did not wish to do it, but David again 
commanded him. So he went out to obey the king. It took him 
and those who were with him, nine months and twenty days to 
number the people. Then they came back to Jerusalem and 
told David that in the tribe of Judah there were five hundred 
thousand brave men, who could fight with the sword, and m the 
other tribes there were eight hundred thousand. 

But after they had told him, David felt that he had sinned, 
and he said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have 
done; and now, I pray thee, O Lord, forgive my sin. But God 
chose to punish David and the people, that they might remember 
how they had disobeyed him, and fear to do so again. Therefore 
when David rose up in the morning, the Lord sent the prophet 
Gad to ask him which of these punishments he would choose: 
Would he have seven years of famine in the land? Or would he 
have his enemies come, and, for three months, fight against him 
and gain the victory over him? Or would he have three days of 
pestilence among the people ? When the prophet asked him this, 
David answered, I am in great trouble to know what I shall say. 
Yet I would rather the Lord should punish us himself than that 
he should send our enemies to do it. David meant that he chose 
the three days of pestilence. 

So the Lord sent an angel that brought a great pestilence 
among the children of Israel, and there died of them, in tnree 
days, seventy thousand men. Now Jerusalem was built upon 
three small mountains, or hills; one of them was called mount 
Moriah. On the top of this mountain was a threshing-floor be- 
longing to a man named Araunah. And the angel that the Lord 
sent stood over Araunah's threshing-floor, and David saw him 



THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL 



307 



standing there, between the earth and the sky, having a drawn 
sword in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, as though he 
would destroy all the people in the city. David and the elders 
of Israel, who had put on sackcloth, bowed down with their 
faces to the earth. And David prayed that the Lord would pun- 
ish him alone, but that the people might be saved. Then the 
prophet Gad came to David, and told him to go and set up an 
altar to the Lord at Araunah's threshing-floor. 




DAVID SACRIFICES ON MOUNT MORIAH 



Now Araunah was threshing his wheat; when he saw the 
king coming, he went out and bowed down before him, say- 
ing, Why has my lord the king come to his servant ? David 
answered, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, that I may build 
an altar upon it and offer up burnt offerings to the Lord, so 
that the pestilence may be taken away from the people. Then 
Araunah told David that he might take the threshing-floor for 
nothing, and might have his oxen also for a burnt offering. But 
David said, No, I will buy it of thee for the full price, neither 



3 o8 THE STORY OF THE' BIBLE 

will I offer up as a burnt offering to the Lord that which has 

cost me nothing. , 

So David bought the threshing-floor for six hundred shekels 
of "old and built an altar there and laid a burnt offering upon 
it °Th'en he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord heard his prayer 
and sent down fire from heaven that burned up his offering. And 
the Lord commanded the angel to cease, and slay the people no 
more; so the pestilence was taken from among them. 

THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 

1 KINGS I-VII (1-7). 1 CHRON. XXII-XXIX (22-29). 

2 CHRON. I-IV (1-4) 

DAVID PREPARES FOR THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE. ADONIJAH REBELS. 
SOLOMON IS MADE KING. DAVID SPEAKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE: HE DIES. 
GOD PROMISES SOLOMON WISDOM AND RICHES. TWO WOMEN COME TO 
HIM FOR JUDGMENT. THE TEMPLE IS BUILT. 

Now David was old, and the time came near for him to 
die And he remembered what God had said about the house 
for the ark: that he should not build it, but that his son, who 
would be king after him, should build it. Yet David made 
ready stones and timber and iron for the house, and told where 
it should be built: the top of mount Moriah, he said, where 
Araunah's threshing-floor had been, was the spot on which it 

should stand. 

And David set masons to shaping the stones, and carpenters 
to hewing beams out of cedar trees, and men to making nails out 
of iron. He gathered also much gold and silver and brass for 
the work; for he said, My son Solomon is yet young, andnot 
able to attend to these things, and the house he shall build is to 
be exceedingly beautiful, and admired among all nations. 

David also gathered the priests and the Levites together, 
and divided them up into different courses, or companies, so that 
each course might take its turn in attending to God's worship at 
the house of the Lord, after Solomon should build it. 

And David called Solomon, and told him that many years 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 309 

before, he himself had wanted to build the house, but the Lord 
had sent him word, because he was a man of war and had shed 
much blood, that he must not build it. God did not mean to 
reprove David for going to war, for it was God who had helped 
him to gain the victory over the enemies of Israel. But God 
chose that a man of peace, and not a man of war, should build 
his house. God had promised, David said, that Solomon should 
be a man of peace, and should be king over Israel, and that he 
should build his house. 

But David had another son, named Adonijah, who wanted 
to be king, and because his father was now old and weak, he 
thought he might be. Therefore he made a great feast for his 
friends, and persuaded them to go with him to make him king. 
When David heard of it, he commanded his servants to take 
his own mule and cause Solomon to ride upon it to a fountain 
called Gihon, that was near Jerusalem; there, David said,- they 
should anoint Solomon. Then they should blow the trumpet 
and cry out, God save King Solomon! Afterward they should 
bring him to the house where David's throne was, that he might 
sit on the throne and be king over Israel. For on account of 
what Adonijah had done, David said he would make Solomon 
king while David himself was yet alive. 

So David's servants did as he commanded. They took Solo- 
mon, and made him ride on the king's mule, and brought him to 
Gihon: there they anointed him, and blew the trumpet, and all 
the people rejoiced and cried, God save King Solomon! And 
Adonijah, and the men who were with him, heard them, and 
said, What meaneth this noise among the people in the city? 
While they were speaking some one came in and told them that 
David had made Solomon king, and that all the people were 
shouting for joy. Then Adonijah was troubled, for he knew 
that he had done wickedly, and he feared that Solomon would 
kill him. And it was told Solomon that Adonijah was afraid. 
But Solomon said that if he would show himself a good man, 
no harm should be done to him; and he commanded Adonijah 
to go to his own house. 

David, before he died, called all the princes and chief men 



3io 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



of his kingdom to Jerusalem. And he told them how the 
Lord, many years before, had chosen Solomon to build the 
house for the ark. The Lord had promised, David said, 
that if Solomon would obey his commandments, he and his 
descendants should continue to be kings over Israel. And 
David said to the princes and great men, Do you also be very 




DAVID TELLS SOLOMON THAT HE SHALL BE KING 

careful to obey the commandments of the Lord, so that you 
may keep this good land which he has given you, and leave it 
to your children when you die. Then David spoke to Solomon 
before them all, saying, And thou, Solomon, my son, obey the 
God of thy father, and serve him with all thy heart; for the 
Lord looks at the heart, and knows all the thoughts. If thou 
serve him he will be thy friend, but if thou turn away from 
serving him he will cast thee off forever. 

Then David gave to Solomon patterns of the house for the 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 311 

ark, and of all the things that were to go into it; for the Lord 
had given him the pattern of all these things. David gave 
Solomon also gold for the things that were to be made of gold, 
and silver for the things that were to be made of silver. And 
he said to him, Be strong and do not fear to begin the house, 
for the Lord God, whom I serve, will be with thee to help thee, 
until thou shalt finish building it. 

And David called all the people together and told them that, 
because he loved to help build the house of the Lord, he had 
made ready gold and silver, brass, iron, precious stones, and 
marble, to be used in building it. Beside what he had given out 
of the spoils taken from his enemies, he gave from his own riches 
a great deal; as much as three thousand talents of the gold of 
Ophir, and seven thousand talents of pure silver, to overlay the 
walls with; and gold and silver also for the vessels of the tem- 
ple. He asked the people if any among them were willing to 
give. Then they, too, brought gold and silver, brass and pre- 
cious stones, and gave them to the Lord. 

And David thanked the Lord, before all the people, for mak- 
ing him and the people willing to give. All they gave, he said, 
was the Lord's; for they were only giving back to the Lord what 
he had first given to them. And David prayed very earnestly 
for the people, and for Solomon his son, that the Lord would help 
them to keep on loving him, and obeying his laws. Then David 
said to all the people, Now thank the Lord your God. And 
they all bowed down their heads and worshipped. The next 
day they offered up sacrifices, burnt offerings and peace offer- 
ings: a thousand bullocks, a thousand goats, and a thousand 
lambs. And they held a feast on the flesh of their peace offerings, 
and ate and drank before the Lord with great joy and gladness. 
Then they anointed Solomon again, and made him king again, 
over the children of Israel. So Solomon sat on the throne and 
was king instead of David, his father; and all the princes and 
mighty men, and all the people, obeyed him. 

David was king for forty years, and he died, being an old 
man and honored by all the people; and they buried him in 
the city of Jerusalem. 



3 i2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Solomon feared God, and was careful to do no evil. And 
God spoke to him in a dream at night, and offered him anything 
that he desired to have. God said to him, Ask what I shall 
give thee ? Solomon answered, Give thy servant wisdom, that I 
may be able to rule well over thy people^ the children of Israel. 
God was pleased with the answer that Solomon made, and told 




SOLOMON'S JUDGMENT 



him that because he had not asked for riches, or a long life, 
or the victory over his enemies, he would give him the wisdom 
he asked for, and beside this, riches and honor, more than any 
of the kings who had been before him, or who should be after 
him; and if he would obey his commandments, God promised to 
give him a long life also. 

And there came two women to king Solomon, and stood be- 
fore him. They lived together in one house; and one of them 
spoke to the king, and said, O my lord, this woman and I live in 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 313 

one house, and we each of us had a little son. This woman's 
child died in the night, and she rose up at midnight, while I 
slept, and took my son from me, and laid it in her bed, and laid 
her dead child in my bed. When I woke in the morning to 
feed my child, it was dead; but when I looked upon it, I saw it 
was not my child. 

After this woman was done speaking, the other contradicted 
her, saying, No, the living is my son, and the dead is thine. 
Then the king called out to his servants, Bring here a sword! 
And they brought it. And the king said, Cut the living child 
in two, and give half to one and half to the other. Then the 
true mother of the child, because she loved it, and would not 
have it killed, said, O my lord, give her the living child, and 
on no account slay it. But the other, who pretended to be its 
mother, said, Yes, cut it in two. The king, when he had 
heard them, commanded that the child should be given to the 
woman who had pity upon it, because he knew that it must be 
hers. It was to find out this that he called for the sword, not 
because he intended to slay the child. 

All the people heard of what the king had done, and were 
willing to serve him, because they saw that God had given him 
wisdom to judge aright. King Solomon was ruler not only over 
the children of Israel, but also over other nations that lived near 
them. They obeyed him, and brought presents of precious 
things. For David had, long before, made those nations his 
servants, and now God kept them from rebelling against Sol- 
omon, so that he might have peace in his kingdom as the Lord 
had promised him. And God gave Solomon great wisdom and 
riches ; he had many officers and servants, and many great men 
came to visit him in his palace. Every day there were killed 
for his table and the table of his servants, ten oxen that had 
been fatted in the stable, twenty oxen brought in from the 
field, and a hundred sheep; beside roe-bucks, deer, and fatted 
fowls. He had also forty thousand horses for his chariots, and 
twelve thousand horsemen. 

Now Solomon made ready to build the house for the ark on 
mount Moriah, at the place where Araunah's threshing-floor had 



3U THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

been He asked Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been David's 
friend, to send his servants into the forests to cut down trees for 
the building, because Hiram's servants knew better than Sol- 
omon's how to cut wood and hew timber. So Hiram sent out 
men into the forest, on a mountain called Lebanon, where cedar 
trees grew Solomon sent many thousands of his own servants 



■ ■:': '■-■,.. :■'.■■■' 




SOLOMON HAD MANY CHARIOTS AND HORSES 



also and Solomon's servants and Hiram's servants worked to- 
gether in cutting down trees. Afterward they brought them to 
The sea, which was not far off, and made them into rafts and 
floated them along the shore till they came near to Jerusalem. 

And Hiram sent to Solomon a man who was skilful to work 
in gold and silver, in brass, iron, wood, and fine linen that he 
might help him in building the house for the ark. Solomon 
gave Hiram corn, and oil, and wine for his servants. And 
Hiram's servants and Solomon's servants made ready great 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 315 

stones and timbers; and Solomon began to build the house 
according to the pattern which David had given him. It was 
to be about a hundred feet long, thirty-three feet wide, and fifty 
feet high. In front of it was to be a porch, with its top built up 
like a steeple, or tower, far above the rest of the house. This 
tower was to be about two hundred feet high. The house had 




HEWING THE WOOD AND STONE FOR SOLOMON'S TEMPLE 



narrow windows in it. Against the walls, on the outside, were 
built chambers, three stories of them, one above the other, for 
the priests to live in, while they should stay attending to God's 
worship there. 

The house was built of stone ; yet each stone was hewn into its 
proper shape, and made ready to go in the wall, before it was 
brought to the place where the house was to stand; so that no 
noise of a hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron was heard in 
the house all the time it was building. 



3i 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

When the walls were built up, Solomon covered them on the 
inside with boards of cedar which were carved with the shapes 
of flowers. Then he covered the flowers over with gold. The 
floor of the house and the inside of the porch he covered over 
with pure gold. And he hung up inside of the house a curtain 
of blue, and purple, and crimson, called the veil, to make two 
rooms there, as had been done in the tabernacle. The innermost 
of these rooms was for the ark, and was called the most holy 
place. The walls inside of the most holy place were covered 
with wood, carved into shapes of cherubim, and palm trees, and 
flowers. These Solomon covered with gold, and the floor also. 
And he made two cherubim fifteen feet high, first out of the 
wood of the olive tree, and then he covered them with gold. 
They stood in the most holy place, with their faces turned to the 
wall, and with their wings spread out, reaching from one side of 
the room to the other. 

And he made doors for the house out of wood of the fir tree, 
and carved upon them shapes of cherubim, and palm trees, and 
open flowers, and afterward covered them with gold fitted upon 
the carved work. In different parts of the house he set precious 
stones to make it more beautiful. 

And Solomon made two great pillars of brass, each over thirty 
feet high, to stand in front of the house, one on the right hand 
and the other on the left. And he made a brass altar, which 
was four times as large as the one that Moses had made for the 
tabernacle. He made also a great basin, or sea of brass, that 
rested on the backs of twelve brass oxen. This was to hold 
water for the priests to wash their hands and their feet with, 
whenever they should go into the house, or offer up sacrifices 
on the altar, as the Lord had commanded them. And he made 
ten lavers of brass, which were set upon wheels, and could be 
moved from one olace to another. These were to hold water 
for the sacrifices to be washed in. 

And Solomon made ten candlesticks of gold, and stood them 
in the house to give light there. He made also the table of 
gold for the shew-bread, and basins and spoons, and censers of 
pure gold, and hinges of gold for the doors of the house. And 



FOSTER 




THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 317 

he made a court for the priests, around the house, in which the 
altar of burnt offering, and the sea that rested upon twelve oxen, 
and the ten lavers, were placed; and another court also, outside 
of this one, for the people of Israel. He was more than seven 
years in doing the work, until all of it was finished. 



1 KINGS VIII-XII (8-12). 2 CHRON. V-X (5-10) 

THE TEMPLE IS DEDICATED TO THE LORD. THE QUEEN OE SHEBA VISITS 
SOLOMON. SOLOMON MARRIES HEATHEN WIVES, WHO PERSUADE HIM 
TO WORSHIP IDOLS. HIS DEATH. THE TEN TRIBES REBEL, AND CHOOSE 
JEROBOAM -EOR THEIR KING. 

Solomon called all the elders and chief men of Israel to 
Jerusalem, that they might be there when the ark should be 
brought into the house. And the elders and chief men came 
and gathered together with the king, and all the people before 
the ark. And the priests took up the ark and carried it into 
the house, into the most holy place, and set it under the wings 
of the cherubim which Solomon had made. The two tables of 
stone, with the ten commandments written on them, were in the 
ark. And when the priests came out of the most holy place, 
after they had left the ark there, a cloud rilled the house of the 
Lord, so that the priests could not go into it, because the glory 
of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 

Then the king stood up before the people, and thanked God 
for helping him to build the house ; and he asked God to take that 
house for his Temple. And Solomon kneeled down before all 
the people, and spread out his hands toward heaven, and prayed 
to the Lord that he would hear and answer all the prayers which 
the children of Israel should make in that house. If ever their 
enemies should come, and gain the victory over them because 
of their sins, or if the Lord should punish them by. not sending 
rain on their fields, so that their seed, their vines, and their fruit 
would not grow; if pestilence should come into the land, or 
locusts, or caterpillars, to eat their grain; whatever trouble or 
whatever sickness they might have, Solomon asked that, when 
the people should come to that house and spread forth their 
hands in prayer, the Lord would hear them. 



3i8 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



After Solomon had finished speaking, there came down fire 
from heaven, and burnt up the offering which lay on the altar. 
When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down, and saw 
the glory of the Lord in the house, they bowed with their faces 
to the ground, upon the pavement, and worshipped the Lord, 
saying, For he is good; for his mercy is With us forever. 




SOLOMON BRINGS THE ARK INTO THE TEMPLE 



Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices. Solomon 
gave, for peace offerings, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hun- 
dred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the peo- 
ple dedicated, or gave, the house to the Lord, that it might be 
his Temple, where his ark should be kept and where sacrifices 
should always be offered up to him. Solomon held a great feast 
for fourteen days and invited all the people to it; and they came 
and feasted on the flesh of the peace offerings which he had 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 319 

given. Afterward he sent them to their homes, and they went 
away with joyful hearts, thanking the Lord for his kindness to 
king Solomon, and to all the children of Israel. 

And the Lord spoke to Solomon in the night, and said that 
he had heard his prayer, and would take the house to be his 
Temple. And he promised that when the children of Israel 
should sin against him, and he should punish them for their sin, 
if they would repent and come to that house and pray to him, 
he would forgive them and take their punishment away. And 
he promised again that if Solomon would obey him, he should 
be king as long as he lived, and his descendants should be kings 
over Israel after him. 

Yet, the Lord said, that if Solomon and the people should turn 
away from serving him and go to serve other gods, he would 
bless them no longer, but would drive them out of the good land 
which he had given them; and that house which was so glorious 
and beautiful now, he would no more have for his temple, but 
would destroy it, so that all who should pass by it would be 
astonished, and ask, Why has the Lord done such things to 
this land and to this house ? And the answer would be, Because 
the people disobeyed the Lord God of their fathers, who brought 
them up out of Egypt, and chose other gods and worshipped 
them and served them. 

Beside building the temple, Solomon built a palace for himself 
in Jerusalem. He built store cities also, in which to keep his 
riches and goods; and cities for his chariots. He made the 
heathen people, who were still left in the land, his servants; 
but of the men of Israel he made soldiers, and captains, and 
horsemen. 

And Solomon sent to the temple the different courses, or com- 
panies, of the priests and the Levites which his father had 
appointed to attend to God's worship there; and he sent the 
porters to watch at the gates. He commanded that sacrifices 
should be offered up on the morning and evening of each day, on 
the Sabbath days, and at the three great feasts which the chil- 
dren of Israel were commanded to keep every year : the feast of 
the passover, the feast of harvest, and the feast of tabernacles. 



320 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



The queen of a far-off country, called Sheba, heard of his 
wisdom and his knowledge of the true God. And she came to 
visit him. She brought with her a great company of servants, 
with camels carrying costly spices, such as grew in her country, 
and gold and precious stones. And she talked with Solomon and 
asked him hard questions about things that she wanted to know. 
Solomon answered all her questions, and explained to her every- 




THE QUEEN OF SHEBA VISITS SOLOMON 

thing that she asked him. And when she looked on the pal- 
ace that Solomon had built, and the costly food that was upon 
his table; the number of his servants that waited on him, and 
the beautiful pathway he had made to go up to the temple ; she 
wondered at all these things, and said that she had not believed 
what she heard in her own land of his riches and wisdom, but 
now she saw that the half was not told her. And she gave to 
Solomon presents of gold and spices, and precious stones, and 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 321 

Solomon gave her costly presents also. Then she turned, she 
and her servants, and went back to her own land. 

Solomon was wiser than all the other kings of the earth, and 
they came to him to be taught of his wisdom. He made a 
great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold ; there were 
six steps leading to the top of the throne, and a footstool of gold 
was fastened upon it. On the steps were the figures of twelve 




SOLOMON WORSHIPS IDOLS 



lions, six on one side and six on the other. There was not such 
a throne made in any other kingdom. And all the cups that 
Solomon drank out of, and all. the vessels that were in his house, 
were made of pure gold. For his ships sailed to a far country, 
called Tarshish, and every three years came back, bringing him 
gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 

But Solomon had many wives, and he took for his wives 
heathen women, whom the Lord had commanded the children of 



21 



J 



22 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Israel not to marry. And when he grew old, his wives persuaded 
him to worship idols, so that he did not continue serving God, as 
David his father had done. For David, after he had sinned, re- 
pented and asked to be forgiven, and worshipped the Lord alone. 
But Solomon went with his heathen wives after their idols, and 
he even built temples to worship those idols in. And the Lord 
was angry with him, and said that because he had done these 
things, nis son should not be king over the children of Israel 
after Solomon himself should die. Yet, for David's sake, the 
Lord would not take away all of the kingdom from Solomon's 
son, but would make him king over two of the tribes of Israel. 
And the Lord raised up enemies against Solomon, to trouble 
him because of his sin. 

Now there was among the children of Israel a young man 
named Jeroboam. One day, as he went out of Jerusalem, a 
prophet met him; he was wearing a new garment, and they two 
were alone in the field. And the prophet took hold of the new 
garment that he wore, and tore it in twelve pieces. Then he told 
Jeroboam to take ten of the pieces, because the Lord was going 
to make him king over ten of the tribes of Israel. When Sol- 
omon heard this he tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled 
into Egypt and stayed in that land. 

Solomon was king over Israel forty years, and he died and was 
buried in Jerusalem. And when the people saw that he was 
dead, they sent word to Jeroboam, in Egypt, and Jeroboam came 
back to the land of Israel. Then he and all the people came to 
Rehoboam, Solomon's son, to make him their king. But first 
they talked with him, and complained that his father had ruled 
over them harshly and treated them cruelly, and they asked 
Rehoboam if he would not treat them more kindly than his 
father had done; if he would do so, they said, they would serve 
him. Rehoboam told them to go away and come to him again 
in three days, and then he would tell them what he would do. 

So they went away. 

After they had gone Rehoboam asked advice from the old 
men who had been friends of his father. And they advised him 
to speak gently to the people, and promise that he would be 



THE BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES 323 

kind to them; if he would do this, they said, the people would 
choose him for their king, and be his servants forever. But 
Rehoboam was not satisfied with the good advice that the old 
men gave him; he asked the young men also, who had grown up 
with him, what they would advise him to do. And the young 
men told him to speak roughly to the people, and say that if 
his father had been cruel to them, he would be yet more cruel, 




REHOBOAM REFUSES TO FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF THE OLD MEN 



and if his father had punished them a little, he would punish 
them a great deal. 

So the people came again in three days, and Jeroboam was 
with them. And Rehoboam spoke roughly to them, as the young 
men had advised him; he cried, If my father has been cruel to 
you, I will be yet more cruel, and if he punished you a little, I 
will punish you a great deal. Then the people went away in 
great anger, and said that Rehoboam, Solomon's son, should not 



324 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

rule over them, but Jeroboam should be their king. Yet the 
tribe of Judah still kept Rehoboam for their king, and the tribe 
of Benjamin also. But the other tribes chose Jeroboam. So Jero- 
boam was made king over ten tribes, as the prophet had told him. 

When Rehoboam saw that the ten tribes had gone from him, 
he sent a messenger to them, asking them to come back and be 
his servants; but they stoned the messenger with stones and 
killed him. Then Rehoboam made haste and called together all 
the men of Judah and of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty 
thousand of them, and gathered them into an army to go out 
and fight against the ten tribes. But God sent a prophet to tell 
them that they should not fight against their brethren, the 
children of Israel, but should go to their own homes. And 
they obeyed the Lord and went to their own homes again. 

So now there were two kings ruling over the children of 
Israel. Until this time, one king had ruled over them all, first 
Saul, then David, and then Solomon. But now Solomon's son, 
Rehoboam, was king over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, 
and Jeroboam was king over the other ten tribes. Rehoboam's 
kingdom was called the kingdom of Judah, and Jeroboam's, the 
kingdom of Israel. 

THE STORY OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



1 KINGS XII-XVII (12-17) 

JEROBOAM SETS UP GOLDEN CALVES FOR THE PEOPLE TO WORSHIP. A 
PROPHET FORETELLS JOSIAH's BIRTH. THE PROPHET IS SLAIN BY A 
LION. JEROBOAM DIES. NADAB, BAASHA, ELAH, ZIMRI, OMRI, AND 
AHAB REIGN OVER ISRAEL. ELIJAH FORETELLS A FAMINE. THE RAVENS 
FEED HIM. HE RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON TO LIFE. 

As soon as the ten tribes had chosen Jeroboam king, they left 
Rehoboam and went away to their own homes. Then Jero- 
boam said to himself, If the people of the ten tribes shall go up 
to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, and worship at the temple, they 
will some day put me away from being their king. For at Jeru- 
salem they will see Rehoboam, Solomon's son, and will want to 
serve him, but me they will put to death. Therefore Jeroboam 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



325 



made two calves of gold, and set them up in that part of the land 
which belonged to the ten tribes. Then he said to the people, It 
is too far for you to go to Jerusalem to worship. See these idols 
of gold, they are your gods; worship them, for it was they that 
brought your fathers up out of Egypt. 

And he built houses for the idols, one at Bethel and the other 
at Dan, in different parts of the land, and the people went there 



n 




WORSHIPPING THE GOLDEN CALF AT BETHEL 



to worship them. He made a feast also for the people to keep 
at Bethel, instead of the feasts which the Lord had commanded 
them to keep at Jerusalem. And Jeroboam chose wicked men 
as priests for his idols, to stay at the idols' houses and offer up 
sacrifices to them, but he would not allow the priests of the Lord 
to offer up sacrifices to God. Therefore, all the priests and the 
Levites who were living in the land of the ten tribes, left that 
land and came to Jerusalem to live; and many other persons 



32 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

who would not worship the calves, came with them and chose 
Rehoboam for their king. 

Jeroboam did very wickedly, for he prevented the people of 
the ten tribes from going to Jerusalem, where God had com- 
manded them to worship, and he taught^ them to worship the 
golden calves which he had set up. And the people also sinned 
with him, for they willingly obeyed him, and worshipped the 
calves, and did not any more go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. 

And one day Jeroboam was standing in his idol's house, 
by the altar of incense, to burn incense to the calf which was 
at Bethel. And there came to him a prophet out of the land 
of Judah, who said that a king should be born in Judah, named 
Josiah, who would come and burn men's bones on that altar, 
to defile, or spoil it, and make it unclean. This was not to 
happen for many years, and yet, that Jeroboam might know 
it would surely come true, the prophet said, the altar should be 
broken and its ashes emptied on the ground that very day. 

Then Jeroboam was angry at what the prophet said, and 
stretched out his hand to take hold of him; but while it was 
stretched out, the Lord made it grow stiff and withered, in a 
moment, so that he could not draw it back to him again. The 
altar was broken also, as the prophet had said, and its ashes 
were scattered on the ground. When Jeroboam saw what the 
Lord had done to him, he begged the prophet to pray that his 
hand might be made well. And the prophet prayed for him, 
and his hand was made well. Then Jeroboam said to the prophet, 
Come home with me and rest thyself, and I will give thee a 
reward. But the prophet answered, Though thou shouldst give 
me half of all the riches in thy house, I will not go with thee, 
neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place. For so 
the Lord commanded me, saying, Eat no bread nor drink water 
there, nor come back by the same way that thou goest. 

So the prophet turned to come back by another way, to the 
land of Judah. Now there was living at Bethel an old man 
who was also a prophet. And his sons came and told him 
of all that the prophet from Judah had done. Then the old 
prophet at Bethel asked them which way he went, for his sons 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 327 

had seen the road he had taken. When he heard, he said to 
them, Saddle the ass for me; and they saddled it, and the old 
man followed after the prophet. 

And he came up with him, and found him sitting under 
an oak, and said to him, Art thou the prophet that came from 
Judah? He answered, I am. Then the old man said, Come 
home with me and eat bread. But the prophet from Judah 
said, I may not go with thee, nor eat bread nor drink water 
in this place, for the Lord has commanded me, saying, Thou 
shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor come back by 
the way that thou goest. Then the old man said to him, But 
I also am a prophet, and an angel spoke to me, saying, Bring 
him back with thee to thy house, that he may eat bread and 
drink water. Yet the old prophet lied to him, for no angel 
had spoken these words. 

Now the prophet from Judah ought not to have listened to 
what the old man said, for the Lord himself had commanded 
the prophet from Judah what he must do. Yet he listened to 
the old man's words and went back with him, and did eat bread 
and drink water in his house. Then the Lord was angry at his 
disobedience, and while they sat at the table, the Lord made the 
old man speak to the prophet from Judah, and tell him that 
because he had disobeyed the Lord and come back to Bethel, 
and had eaten bread and drunk water there, he should not, when 
he died, be buried in his father's sepulchre. 

So after he had eaten and drunk, he started to go back to the 
land of Judah. But as he went, a lion met him and slew him, 
and his dead body lay in the road, and the ass on which he had 
ridden stood by it, and the lion also. Some men who passed 
that way, saw the dead body in the road and the lion standing 
by it. Then they came and told it in Bethel, where the old 
prophet lived. When he heard it, he said, It is the prophet 
from Judah who disobeyed the command of the Lord, therefore 
the Lord has given him to the lion, which has slain him, so 
that he shall not be buried in the sepulchre of his fathers, as 
the Lord said. 

And the old man spoke to his sons, saying, Saddle the ass 



328 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



for me; and they saddled it. Then he went to the place where 
the prophet had been slain, and found his dead body lying in 
the way, and the ass and the lion standing by it. The lion 
had not eaten the body nor killed the ass. And the old man 
took up the prophet's dead body, and laid it upon the ass and 
brought it to Bethel, where he buried it hvhis own grave. Then 
he said to his sons, When I am dead, bury me in the sepulchre 





■■■;;-:■-■ .. 




A LION KILLS THE PROPHET FROM JUDAH 

where the prophet of Judah is buried; lay my bones beside 
his bones, for the words that he spoke against the altar in Bethel 

shall surely come true. 

At that time the son of king Jeroboam grew sick, and Jero- 
boam said to his wife, Put on other raiment, that no one may 
know thee, and go to Shiloh, to the prophet who told me I 
should be king; take him a present of ten loaves of bread and 
a cruse of honey, and he will tell thee whether the child shall 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 329 

get well. And Jeroboam's wife did as he said. She put on 
other raiment and went to Shiloh, and came to the prophet's 
house. Now the prophet was old and could not see, for his eyes 
were dim. But the Lord had told him that the wife of Jero- 
boam was coming to ask about her son. 

So when he heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the 
door, he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why dost thou 
pretend to be another woman ? For I have to tell thee sad tidings. 
Go, say to Jeroboam, thus saith the Lord, I raised thee up from 
among the people, and made thee king over ten of the tribes 
of Israel ; I took those ten tribes away from Solomon's son and 
gave them to thee. Yet thou hast not obeyed my command- 
ments, but hast done wickedly, for thou hast turned away from 
serving me and made other gods. Therefore I will send evil 
upon thee and thy family, until not one of them is left alive. 
And after they are dead they shall not be buried in the grave, 
as the families of other kings are buried ; but those that die in the 
city the dogs shall eat, and those that die out in the field the birds 
of the air shall eat; for so the Lord has said it shall be. Go 
back, therefore, to thy own house, and as thou goest, thy child 
shall die. And all the people shall mourn for him and bury 
him; for he is the only one of Jeroboam's family who shall be 
buried in the grave. 

So Jeroboam's wife rose up and went from the prophet's 
house to her own home, and as she came in at the door the child 
died. And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him as 
the prophet had said. Jeroboam reigned, that is, he was king, 
for twenty-two years; then he died, and Nadab, his son, was 
made king in his place. 

Nadab did not serve God, but worshipped the golden calves 
which his father had set up. He went with his army against 
the Philistines and besieged one of their cities. To besiege a city 
is to set soldiers around it, who will let no one come out or go 
in; but will fight against it, and prevent food or help from 
being brought to the people, until the city is taken. And 
Nadab besieged a city of the Philistines. While he was there 
and after he had been king for two years, a man named Baasha 



33° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



rebelled against him and slew him; and Baasha was made king 
over the ten tribes of Israel. 

Baasha put every one of Jeroboam's family to death; so the 
words of the prophet came true, which he spoke to Jeroboam's 
wife, when he told her that the Lord would bring evil on Jero- 
boam and his family, until not one of them was left alive. Yet 
Baasha did not kill them because they were wicked, nor because 




NADAB BESIEGES A CITY OF THE PHILISTINES 



the Lord's prophet had spoken these words, but because he 
wanted to rule over the people himself. For Baasha was wicked 
also, and he too worshipped the golden calves. He was king 
for twenty-four years; and he died, and Elah, his son, was made 
king in his place. 

Elah lived in the city of Tirzah, where his father had lived. 
He reigned for two years. One day, he was drinking himself 
drunk in the house of his chief servant; when Zimri, the captain 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 331 

of half his chariots, came into the house and killed him; and 
Zimri made himself king. Now the men of Israel were away, 
righting against the Philistines at this time, but as soon as they 
heard what Zimri had done, they said that he should not rule 
over them, so they chose Omri, their captain, for king. Then 
Omri and the men of Israel came to Tirzah, where Zimri was, 
and besieged it. When Zimri saw they were about to gain the 
victory over him and take the city, he went into the king's 
palace, and setting it on fire, burnt himself up there. Zimri 
was king for only seven days. 

Omri, after he was made king, bought a hill called the hill of 
Samaria, for two talents of silver; and he built a city on it which 
he called the city of Samaria. In this city Omri lived, and the 
kings of Israel, who reigned after him, continued to live there as 
long as their kingdom lasted — for nearly two hundred years. 
But Omri also sinned, for he worshipped the golden calves, and 
encouraged the people to worship them. He was king for twelve 
years, and he died, and was buried in Samaria, the city which he 
had built; and Ahab his son was made king in his stead. 

Up to this time, six kings had ruled over the ten tribes of 
Israel, and every one of them had been wicked. But the Bible 
tells us that Ahab, Omri's son, was more wicked than all who 
had ruled before him. He took for his wife the daughter of a 
heathen king. Her name was Jezebel, and she worshipped the 
idol Baal. Ahab built a house, or temple, for the idol in the 
city of Samaria. He chose wicked men also to stay there and 
offer up sacrifices to the idol. These men he called priests, or 
prophets, of Baal. Ahab also set up an image and an altar, 
and he made the people of Israel worship Baal as the heathen 
nations did. 

And the Lord was displeased with Ahab, and sent the prophet 
Elijah to tell him that there should not, for years, be any more 
rain in the land of Israel. No rain should come there, the Lord 
said, until Elijah should ask for it. As this would make Ahab 
very angry with Elijah, the Lord told the prophet, after he had 
spoken these words, to flee away where Ahab could not find him. 
Go, the Lord said, and hide by a brook that is in the wilderness. 



332 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Thou shalt drink of the water of the brook, and I have com- 
manded the ravens to feed thee there. So Elijah went and hid 
by the brook; and he drank of the water, and the ravens brought 
him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the 
evening. But after a while, because there had been no rain, the 
brook dried up and a great famine came in the land. 




ELIJAH FED BY THE RAVENS 



Then the Lord said to him, Arise, and go to the city of 
Zarephath, for I have commanded a widow woman there to 
feed thee. And Elijah arose and went. When he came to the 
gate of the city, the woman was gathering sticks, and he called 
to her and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a cup, 
that I may drink. As she was going he called to her again, 
and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a piece of bread in thy 
hand. She answered, As surely as the Lord thy God liveth, 
I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a barrel, and 
a little oil in a cruse; and now I am gathering a few sticks 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



333 



that- 1 may go in and bake it, for me and my son to eat, before 
we starve. 

But Elijah said to her, Fear not; go and bake it, as thou hast 
said, but make a little cake for me first and bring it. After that 
make more for thee and thy son. For the Lord says that 




ELIJAH ASKS THE WIDOW FOR BREAD 



although there is but little of the meal and of the oil, yet they 
shall last until the famine ceases in the land. Then she went 
and did as Elijah commanded ; and afterward she, and he, and 
her son did eat for a whole year, and the Lord made the meal 
and the oil last all that time. 

After this the son of the woman grew sick, and his sickness 



334. 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



was so great that he died. When she told Elijah of it, he said, 
Give me thy son. And he took him out of her arms, and 
carried him up into his own chamber and laid him on his bed. 
And Elijah cried to the Lord, and said, O Lord, hast thou 




ELIJAH RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON 



brought evil upon the woman in whose house I stay, by slaying 
her son? I beseech thee, O Lord, let the child's soul come into 
him again. And the Lord heard Elijah's prayer, and sent the 
soul of the child into him again, so that he lived. Then Elijah 
took him, and brought him down out of his chamber and gave 
him to his mother. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 335 

1 KINGS XVIII, XIX (18, 19) 

ELIJAH SHOWS HIMSELF TO AHAB. HE SLAYS BAAL'S PROPHETS AT MOUNT 
CARMEL, AND PRAYS FOR RAIN. JEZEBEL SEEKS TO SLAY ELIJAH. HE 
FLEES INTO THE WILDERNESS. GOD SPEAKS TO HIM AT HOREB. ELIJAH 
CALLS ELISHA TO FOLLOW HIM. 

Now there were in the land of Israel many other prophets of 
the Lord beside Elijah, w r hom the Lord had sent to teach 
the people. But Jezebel, the wicked wife of Ahab, hated them 
and tried to kill them. Then Obadiah, the chief servant in 
Ahab's house, because he was a good man and feared the Lord, 
took a hundred of the Lord's prophets and hid them in caves, 
where Jezebel could not find them; there he sent them bread 
to eat and w r ater to drink. 

After the famine had lasted for more than three years, the 
Lord spoke to Elijah, and said, Go, show thyself to king Ahab, 
and I wall send rain on the land. Then Elijah started to go. 
But Ahab did not know that Elijah was coming, or that the 
Lord was going to send rain. So he called Obadiah, his chief 
servant, and said to him, Go, and look wherever there are any 
brooks or springs of water, perhaps we may find grass enough 
there to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all 
of them by the famine. And Ahab and Obadiah went out 
to search through the land: Ahab went one way by himself, 
and Obadiah w r ent another way by himself. 

Now as Obadiah w r ent on his way, Elijah met him, and Oba- 
diah knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou, my lord, 
Elijah? Elijah said, I am. Go tell king Ahab that Elijah is 
here. But Obadiah answered, There is no nation nor king- 
dom where Ahab has not sent to seek thee. And now r , as soon 
as I have gone to tell him that thou art here, the Lord will carry 
thee aw r ay, I know not where, and hide thee, and when Ahab 
shall come and cannot find thee, he will kill me. But Elijah 
answered, As surely as the Lord liveth, I will show myself to 
Ahab this day. So Obadiah went and told Ahab, and Ahab 
came to meet Elijah. When he saw him, he said, Art thou he 
that troubleth the people of Israel ? He said this because he 
blamed Elijah for the famine. But Elijah answered, I am not 



336 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

the one who troubles Israel, but thou and thy family, because 
you have forsaken the Lord and have served Baal. 

Then Elijah told Ahab to send and gather all the people at 
mount Carmel, and to bring there also all the priests, or proph- 
ets of Baal, four hundred and fifty men. So Ahab sent word 
to all the people, and gathered them and Baal's prophets to- 
gether, at mount Carmel. And Elijah came there and spoke 
to the people, saying, How long will you be in deciding whom 
you will serve? If the Lord be God, obey him; but if Baal 
be God, then obey him. And the people heard what Elijah 
said, but they answered him not a word. 

Then Elijah told the people that he was the only prophet 
of the Lord who was left in the land, because all the rest had 
been killed or made to flee away for their lives, but Baal's 
prophets, he said, were four hundred and fifty men. And Elijah 
said, Bring two bullocks, and let Baal's prophets choose one of 
them and kill it and lay it on Baal's altar, but not put any fire 
under it. And I will take the other bullock and kill it, and 
lay it on the Lord's altar, and not put any fire under it. Then 
they shall pray to Baal to send down fire from heaven, and I 
will pray to the Lord; and the one that sends down fire to burn 
up his offering, he shall be God. And all the people answered 
that it should be as Elijah said. 

And Baal's prophets chose their bullock and killed it, and laid 
it on the wood on the altar, but put no fire under it. Then they 
cried out to their idol from morning till noon, saying, O Baal, 
hear us! And they leaped up and down at their altar. But no 
voice answered them, neither did any fire come down to burn up 
their offering. And, at about noon, Elijah mocked them, and 
said, Call louder upon your god, for perhaps he is talking to 
some one and cannot hear, or has gone away from his home 
on a journey, or is asleep and must be awaked. And they cried 
to Baal until the evening, and cut themselves with knives till the 
blood gushed out, as the heathen nations used to do, hoping it 
would make their idols answer them. But no answer came. 

Then Elijah called all the people to come near to him, and 
they came near. And he took twelve stones and built up the 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 337 

altar of the Lord which had been broken down, and he made a 
trench, or trough around it. And he put the wood on the altar, 
and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he 
said to the people, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on 
the burnt sacrifice and on the wood. When they had done it, 
he said, Do it a second time. And they did it a second time. 
And he said, Do it a third time. And they did it the third 
time. And the water ran down over the sacrifice and over the 
wood, and filled the trench around the altar. 

And in the evening, at the time when the priests at the temple 
used every day to offer up a lamb for a burnt offering, Elijah 
came near to the altar and prayed to the Lord, saying, Hear 
me, O Lord, hear me, so that this people may know thou art the 
true God, and that thou dost call them from serving idols to serve 
thee again. Then the fire of the Lord fell from heaven upon 
the altar, and burnt up the bullock and the wood, and the stones 
of which the altar was made, and licked up the water that was 
in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their 
faces, and said, The Lord, he is God ! The Lord, he is God ! And 
Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not one of 
them escape. And the people took them; and Elijah brought 
them down to the brook Kishon and slew them there ; for so the 
Lord commanded it should be done to all those who taught the 
people to serve idols and forsake him. 

Then Elijah spoke to king Ahab, and told him that now he 
might go and eat and drink, for the rain was coming and the 
famine would soon be ended. So Ahab went to a place a little 
way off on the mountain, to eat and drink there. But Elijah 
went up to the top of mount Carmel, and kneeled down with his 
face to the ground, and prayed that God would send the rain. 
After he had prayed, he said to his servant, Go up now and 
look toward the sea. And the servant went up to a place still 
higher on the mount, and looked, but came back and said, I see 
nothing. Elijah said, Go again seven times. And at the seventh 
time he came, saying, There rises up out of the sea, a little cloud 
as large as a man's hand. 

Then Elijah knew that the Lord was sending the rain S© 



aa 



33 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

he said to his servant, Go, say unto Ahab, Make ready thy 
chariot and get thee down from the mountain, lest the rain 
stop thee. While his servant was going, the little cloud rose 
up from the sea, and grew larger, till all the sky was black 
with clouds and wind, and there was a very great rain. And 
Ahab rode in his chariot and went to the city of Jezreel. And 
the Lord gave Elijah strength to run before the chariot till he 
came to the gate of the city. 

Ahab told his wife, Jezebel, of all that Elijah had done, and 
how he had slain the prophets of Baal with the sword. Then 
Jezebel was very angry, and she sent word to Elijah, saying, Let 
the gods (that is, the idols which she worshipped) slay me also, if 
I do not put thee to death by to-morrow about this time. When 
Elijah heard these words he was greatly afraid, and made haste 
to flee for his life, and came to the city of Beer-sheba in the land 
of Judah. There he left his servant, but he went on another 
day's journey to hide in the wilderness. 

And he sat down under a juniper tree, and asked that he might 
die, saying, Now, O Lord, take away my life. For he was weary 
of fleeing from his enemies. But he did wrong in asking that he 
might die. God had sent the ravens to feed him in the famine, 
and had saved him from Ahab, and the wicked prophets of Baal. 
Elijah should have remembered these things, and not been afraid, 
but willing to wait patiently until the Lord was ready to take 
him to heaven. We shall see afterward what glorious things 
he would have missed if the Lord had allowed him to die, as 
he asked, there alone in the wilderness. 

And he fell asleep. As he lay sleeping under the juniper 
tree, an angel came and touched him and said to him, Arise 
and eat. And Elijah looked, and saw a cake that was baked 
on some coals of fire near him, and a cruse of water by his 
head. And he ate and drank, and lay down and slept again. 
Then the angel of the Lord came a second time and touched 
him, and told him to eat, so that he might have strength for 
the journey that was before him. So he rose up and ate and 
drank; and the Lord gave him strength from that food to go 
forty days and forty nights, until he came to mount Horeb. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



339 



And he went into a cave on the mountain, and lay down and 
slept there. And the Lord spoke to him, saying, What doest 
thou here, Elijah? Elijah answered, The children of Israel 
have broken their promise to obey thy law, and have thrown 
down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; I am 
the only one left, and they seek to slay me also. Then the Lord 




ELIJAH FED BY THE ANGEL 

passed by the cave where Elijah was. But first there came a 
great and strong wind before him, that tore up the earth on the 
mountain, and broke the rocks in pieces; but the Lord was not in 
the wind. And after the wind came an earthquake that shook 
the ground; but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after 
the earthquake came a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire. 
And after the fire came a still, small voice. When Elijah 
heard it he knew that God was there; and he wrapt his face 



34© 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



in his mantle, for he was afraid to look upon God. And God 
called him to come out and stand upon the mountain. And 
Elijah went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 

And the Lord asked him, as he had done before, What doest 
thou here, Elijah? Elijah answered, The children of Israel 
have broken their promise to obey thy 'law; they have thrown 
down thine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword; I 

am the only one left, and 
they seek to slay me also. 
But the Lord told Elijah 
that he was not the only 
one left who served him. 
I have yet seven thou- 
sand persons in the land 
of Israel, the Lord said, 
who have never bowed 
their knees to the idol 
Baal. Then the Lord 
commanded Elijah to 
leave the cave and go 
back, by the way that he 
came, toward the wilder- 
ness of Damascus, and as he went, to anoint Elisha to be prophet 
in his place ; because the time was coming near when the Lord 
would take Elijah up to heaven. 

So Elijah went back as the Lord commanded him; and on 
the way he saw Elisha ploughing with his oxen in the field. 
Elijah came near to him, and as he passed by, threw his man- 
tle, or coat, on Elisha. And the Lord made Elisha understand 
that this meant he should leave his home and go with Elijah. 
Then Elisha left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said to him, 
Let me go first, I pray thee, and kiss my father and my mother 
farewell, and then I will come with thee. So Elisha returned 
to his home to bid his father and mother farewell, but after- 
ward he came to Elijah and went with him and waited on him, 
and was his servant. 




ELIJAH HEARS THE VOICE OF THE LORD 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



34 1 




ELIJAH THROWS HIS MANTLE ON ELISHA 



1 KINGS XX-XXII (20-22) 2 KINGS I (1) 

AHAB GAINS THE VICTORY OVER THE SYRIANS, BUT LETS BENHADAD GO. 
HE TAKES NABOTH'S VINEYARD. JEHOSHAPHAT GOES OUT TO BATTLE 
WITH AHAB. AHAB IS SLAIN. AHAZIAH REIGNS. HE SENDS SOLDIERS 
TO TAKE ELIJAH, AND THEY ARE BURNED UP BY FIRE FROM HEAVEN. 
AHAZIAH'S DEATH. 

Benhadad, the king of a country called Syria, gathered 
all his army together and went up to fight against the city of 
Samaria, where Ahab, the king of Israel, lived. And he sent 



342 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

messengers to Ahab, saying, Thy silver and thy gold, thy wives 
and thy children, even those thou lovest best, are mine. When 
Ahab heard this he was afraid, and answered that Benhadad 
might take all those things. Then Benhadad sent messengers 
again to Ahab, and said, Although thou wilt give me all thy silver 
and gold, and thy wives and thy children, these are not enough. 
But to-morrow I will send my servants, and they shall search thy 
house, and whatever they find there that thou dost value most, 
they shall take away from thee, and bring to me. Then Ahab 
called all the elders of Israel to him, and told them the words 
Benhadad had spoken. And the elders answered that Ahab 
should not allow Benhadad to do as he said. 

When Benhadad heard this, he sent word to Ahab that he 
had with him a great army, and that he would come and take 
the city of Samaria. But Ahab replied that he should not 
boast beforehand, as if he had already gained the victory. Then 
Benhadad was very angry, and said to his soldiers, Make ready 
for the battle. And they made ready. And the Lord sent a 
prophet to Ahab, who told him not to fear, but to go out against 
the Syrians with only seven thousand men. So Ahab went out 
against them, as the prophet said. Benhadad and his captains 
were drinking themselves drunk in their tents. And Ahab and 
his seven thousand men fought against them, and the Syrians 
fled. When Benhadad saw that his army had fled, he escaped 
on a horse with some of his horsemen. 

And the prophet spoke to Ahab a second time, and told him 
that Benhadad would come up again the next year against 
Samaria. What the prophet said proved true. For Benhadad 's 
servants persuaded him to gather together another army as great 
as the first, and they came up and spread over the whole coun- 
try. But the men of Israel, when they went out against him, 
seemed only like two little flocks of kids, there were so few of them. 
After seven days the battle began, and the Lord gave the men of 
Israel the victory this time also, for they slew of the Syrians a hun- 
dred thousand men. The rest escaped to the city of Aphek, and 
there a great wall fell down and killed many more of them. But 
Benhadad fled into the city and hid in a secret chamber. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 343 

And his servants came to him and said, We have heard that 
the kings of Israel are merciful kings, let us, we pray thee, put 
on sackcloth, to show that we humble ourselves, and then go 
out to the king of Israel and ask him to save thy life; perhaps 
he may let thee live. So they put on sackcloth, and came to 
Ahab, saying, Thy servant Benhadad says, I pray thee let me 
live. Ahab answered, Was he not killed in the battle? When 
he heard that he was yet alive, he told them to go and bring him. 
Then Benhadad came out to him, and Ahab took that wicked 
king up into his chariot, and because Benhadad promised to give 
him some cities, Ahab allowed him to return to his own land. 
But God was angry with Ahab for doing this. He had given 
Ahab the victory over Benhadad that Ahab might put him to 
death. And now God sent a prophet to Ahab who spoke to him, 
and said, Because thou hast let this man go, whom I meant thou 
shouldst utterly destroy, therefore thy life shall go for his life 
and thou shalt be slain instead of him. 

After this there was a man named Naboth, who had a vine- 
yard in the city of Jezreel. Now Ahab, the king, had a palace 
in that city, and as Naboth's vineyard was near it, Ahab spoke 
to him, saying, Sell me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a 
garden to plant herbs in, and I will give thee a better vineyard 
for it, or else, if thou wouldst rather, I will give thee what it is 
worth in money. But Naboth did not want to sell his vineyard. 
It had belonged to his father, who, when he died, left it to him; 
therefore it was Naboth's inheritance. And Naboth would not 
let Ahab have it; he said, The Lord forbid that I should sell 
the inheritance of my fathers to thee. 

When Ahab heard this, he came home to his house sad and 
displeased. He lay down upon his bed, and turned away his 
face, and would eat no food. Then Jezebel, his wife, came to 
him, saying, Why art thou so sad that thou wilt eat no food? 
And Ahab answered, Because I spoke unto Naboth, and said to 
him, Sell me thy vineyard for money, or else, if thou wouldst 
rather, I will give thee another vineyard for it, but he answered, 
I will not give thee my vineyard. Jezebel said to him, Art 
thou now the king of Israel, and wilt thou be treated so ? Rise 



344 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



up, eat thy food, and be merry; I will give thee the vineyard of 
Naboth the Jezreelite. 

Then she wrote letters, and signed them with Ahab's name, 
and sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders of the 
city of Jezreel, where Naboth lived. In the letters she com- 
manded them to find some wicked men who would tell lies about 
Naboth, and say that they had heard him speak evil of God and 




NABOTH REFUSES TO SELL HIS VINEYARD 



the king. And the elders did as Jezebel commanded; for they 
found two men who bore false witness, that is, who lied against 
him, saying, Naboth did blaspheme, and speak evil of God and 
the king. Now, as we have read, the Lord had commanded that 
whoever blasphemed his name should be stoned. So they took 
Naboth out of the city and stoned him with stones until he died, 
and the dogs came and licked up his blood. Then they sent word 
to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned and is dead. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



345 



When Jezebel heard it she said to Ahab, Arise, and take the 
vineyard of Naboth for thine own, for Naboth is not alive, but 
dead. So Ahab arose, and went down to the vineyard of Na- 
both to take it for his own. And the Lord commanded Elijah 
to go and meet him there, and say to him, Hast thou killed Na- 
both and taken his vineyard ? I tell thee that in the place where 
the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, 







XIJAH CONDEMNS AHAB TO DEATH 



even thine. And Elijah went to meet Ahab; when Ahab saw 
him, he said to him, Hast thou found me, O my enemy? Elijah 
answered, I have found thee because thou hast given thyself up 
to sin against the Lord. 

Then Elijah told Ahab that the Lord would send evil on him 
and on his family, and that they should all be destroyed, as the 
family of Jeroboam had been, until not one of them was left 
alive. Of Jezebel also, the Lord said, The dogs shall eat Jezebel 



346 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

by the wall of Jezreel. For there was none so wicked as Ahab, 
who gave himself up to do evil, and whose wife, Jezebel, tempted 
him to sin more and more. He did very wickedly also in wor- 
shipping idols, like the heathen nations that the Lord had driven 
out of Canaan before the children of Israel. 

And Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah/came down to Samaria 
to visit Ahab. Then Ahab told him that Benhadad, king of 
Syria, was keeping one of the cities from him, and Ahab asked 
Jehoshaphat to go out with him to take it again. Now Jehosha- 
phat was a good man and feared the Lord, therefore he told Ahab 
to inquire first whether the Lord was willing they should go. 

And Ahab gathered his prophets together, about four hundred 
men, and said to them, Shall I go up against the city to battle, 
or shall I not go ? They answered, Go up, for the Lord will give 
it into thy hand. But Jehoshaphat did not believe these men, 
for they were false prophets, who said whatever they thought 
would please Ahab. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a 
prophet of the Lord, beside these, whom we may ask? Ahab 
answered, There is yet one, a man named Micaiah, but I hate 
him, because he does not prophesy good to me, but evil. Je- 
hoshaphat answered, Let not the king say so. 

Then Ahab called an officer, and told him to make haste and 
bring Micaiah there. And the king of Israel and the king of 
Judah, having put on their royal robes, sat each of them on a 
throne in an open place by the gate of Samaria. And all Ahab's 
false prophets were speaking before them, telling them to go out 
to battle, for they should have the victory. 

And the messenger came back, bringing Micaiah to the king. 
Then Ahab asked him, Shall we go to battle against the city, or 
shall we not go? At first Micaiah said, Go. But the king saw 
that he did not mean what he said. And Ahab said to him, How 
often must I ask thee before thou wilt tell me what is true ? Then 
Micaiah answered, I saw all the children of Israel scattered upon 
the hills, like a flock of sheep that is lost and has no shepherd. 
Micaiah meant that the Lord had shown him Ahab's army, as 
it would be after the battle, when Ahab himself would be killed 
and his army would have no one to lead them. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



347 



Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say to thee truly that he 
would prophesy no good about me, but evil ? And Ahab was 
angry, and commanded his servants, saying, Take Micaiah to the 
governor of the city, and say, Thus saith the king, Put this fel- 
low in prison, and feed him on bread and water, and treat him 
cruelly, until I come back safe from the battle. Micaiah an- 
swered, If thou come back safe at all, then the Lord has not 
told me what I should answer thee. 




AHAB IS WOUNDED BY AN ARROW 



Yet the king of Israel and the king of Judah went up to fight 
against the city. And Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, I will put on 
another dress, that no one may know me, and will go among the 
soldiers and fight in the battle, but put thou on thy royal robes 
and let them see thou art a king. Now, before the battle began, 
Benhadad, king of Syria, had commanded all the captains to 
try and kill Ahab; and when they saw Jehoshaphat in his 
robes, they said, Surely it is king Ahab, and they came to fight 
against him. Then Jehoshaphat cried out; and when they 



34 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

saw it was not Ahab, they turned back from following him. 
It was the Lord who made them turn back, because Jehosha- 
phat was his servant, and the Lord was watching over him, to 

save him from them. 

But a man in Benhadad's army shot an arrow, not aiming at 
any one, nor knowing where it would strike, and the Lord made 
it strike' Ahab and go in between the pieces of armor that cov- 
ered his breast. Then Ahab said to the driver of his chariot, 
Turn back, and carry me out of the host, for I am wounded. 
The battle lasted all that day, and Ahab was held up in his 
chariot that he might see it, and send orders to his soldiers, but 
he died in the evening. And about the time the sun was going 
down, word was sent through all the host of Israel that every 
man should flee to his own home. 

So the men of Israel fled, and Ahab was slain, as the prophet 
told him he would be, when he let Benhadad go, after the Lord 
had given that wicked king into his hand. And they carried 
Ahab's dead body to Samaria and buried it there. As a man 
was washing the blood from the king's chariot, in a pool of water 
that was near the city, the dogs came and licked up his blood, 
as Elijah said they should, when the dogs licked up the blood 
of Naboth at the city of Jezreel. 

And Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, was made king in his place. 
He did wickedly, as his father had done. And he fell down 
from an upper chamber in his palace and was hurt, and made 
sick. Then he sent messengers to Baal-zebub, the idol of the 
Philistines, to ask whether he would get well of his sickness. 
And the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, Go up to meet the 
messengers of Ahaziah, and say to them, Is it because there 
is no God in Israel that you are going to ask Baal-zebub, the 
idol of the Philistines? Now, therefore, the Lord says that 
Ahaziah shall not rise up from that bed on which he is laid, 
but shall surely die. 

Elijah met the messengers, and spoke to them the words that 
the Lord had commanded. And they came to Ahaziah again, 
and he said to them, Why are you come back so soon ? They 
answered, There came a man to meet us, who said, Go back to 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 349 

king Ahaziah and say to him, thus saith the Lord : Is it because 
there is not a God in Israel that you send to inquire of Baal- 
zebub, the idol of the Philistines? Therefore know now that 
you shall not rise up from the bed on which you are laid, but 
shall surely die. The king said to the messengers, What sort of 
a man was he that met you and told you these words? They 
answered, He was a hairy man, with a girdle of leather about 
his loins. And Ahaziah said, It is Elijah. 

Then the king was displeased, and sent a captain of his army, 
with fifty soldiers, to take Elijah, and bring him to the king. 
And they came, and found him sitting on the top of a hill ; and 
the captain called to him, and said, Thou prophet, the king com- 
mands thee to come down. Elijah answered, If I be a prophet, 
let fire come down from heaven and burn up thee and thy fifty 
men. And there came down fire from heaven, and burned up 
the captain and the fifty men who were with him. 

And Ahaziah sent another captain with fifty men, and he 
came to Elijah and called to him, saying, Thou prophet, the 
king commands thee to come down quickly. Elijah answered, 
If I be a prophet, let fire come down from heaven and burn 
up thee and thy fifty men. Then fire came down again from 
heaven, and burned up the captain and his fifty men. And 
Ahaziah sent a third captain with fifty men more. But when 
he came to the place where Elijah was, he fell on his knees 
before him, and said, O prophet, I pray thee, save my life and 
the lives of these fifty men, thy servants. Let not the fire come 
down from heaven and burn us, as it burned the two captains, 
with their men, who were here before us. 

And the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, Go with him, be not 
afraid. So Elijah went with him to the king. And Elijah said 
to the king, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast sent messen- 
gers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the idol of the Philistines, instead 
of sending to me, the God of Israel, therefore thou shalt not rise 
up from the bed on which thou art laid, but shalt surely die. 
So Ahaziah died, as Elijah told him, and Jehoram, his brother, 
was made king over the ten tribes of Israel. 



35 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

2 KINGS II-IV (2-4) 

ELIJAH IS TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN. ELISHA MAKES THE WATERS AT JERICHO 
PURE LITTLE CHILDREN MOCK HIM AND ARE SLAIN BY BEARS. HE 
COMMANDS DITCHES TO BE DUG, AND THESE ARE FILLED WITH. WATER. 
THE WIDOW POURS OIL INTO EMPTY VESSELS. THE SHUNAMITE S KIND- 
NESS TO ELISHA. HE RAISES HER SON TO "LIFE. 

And it was so, when the Lord was going to take Elijah up to 
heaven, that Elijah went with his servant Elisha to a place 
called Gilgal Now Elijah wanted to be alone when the Lord 
should take him up, so he said to Elisha, Stay here, I pray thee, 
at Gilgal, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said, 
As surely as the Lord liveth, and as thou art living, I will not 
leave thee So they went down to Bethel. And the young men 
who went to the schools that were taught by the prophets at 
Bethel came to Elisha, and said to him, Knowest thou that the 
Lord will take away thy master from thee to-day ? He answered, 
Yes, I know it, hold ye your peace. 

And Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here at Bethel, I pray thee, 
for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. But Elisha said, As sureiy 
as the Lord liveth, and as thou art living, I will not leave thee So 
they came to Jericho. And the young men who were in the schools 
of the prophets at Jericho, came to Elisha, and said to him, Know- 
est thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thee to-day i 
He answered, Yes, I know it, hold ye your peace. _ 

And Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here, I pray thee, at Jericho, 
for the Lord has sent me to the river Jordan. But Elisha an- 
swered As surely as the Lord liveth, and as thou art living, 1 
will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty young 
men from the schools of the prophets followed them, to look a 
good way off. And Elijah and Elisha stood by the side of the 
river Then Elijah took his mantle and wrapt it together, and 
struck the waters with it, and the waters were parted before 
them, so that they two went over on dry ground. 

When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, Ask .what : 1 
shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha 
asked that he might have more of God's Spirit in his heart, as 
Elijah had . Elijah answered, Thou hast asked a hard thing ; vet 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



35i 



if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have what 
thou askest for; but if not, thou shalt not have it. 

And as they walked on and talked together, behold, there 
came a chariot of fire, with horses of fire, that took Elijah away 
from Elisha, and he went up in the chariot to heaven. Elisha 
saw it, and cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of 
Israel and the horsemen thereof. He called Elijah father, for 
so they called the prophets in those days. And he called him 




ELIJAH IS TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN 

the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof, because Elijah 
would have been better than chariots and horses to help the 
people, and gain the victory for them over their enemies, if 
they had only been willing to obey him. After that Elisha saw 
Elijah no more; and he took hold of his own clothes and rent 
them in two pieces. And Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah 
that fell from him, and with it he struck the waters of the river, 
and they parted for him as they had done for Elijah, and Elisha 
went over alone, on dry ground. 



352 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And the fifty young men from the schools of the prophets, who 
had followed afar off, came to meet him, and bowed themselves 
down to the ground before him. And they said to Elisha, Let 
us go, we pray thee, and look for thy master; perhaps the Lord 
has taken him away and left him on some mountain, or in some 
valley. But Elisha answered, Ye shall not go. Then they 
begged him, till Elisha was ashamed to refuse any longer, and 
he said to them, Go. They went, therefore, and searched three 
days for Elijah, but could not find him. Then they came to 
Jericho and told Elisha, and he said to them, Did I not say to 

you, Do not go? 

And the men of Jericho said to Elisha, Our city is pleasant to 
live in, as thou seest, except that the water is not good to drink, 
and it makes the ground barren, so that nothing will grow here. 
Elisha said to them, Bring me a new cruse, and put some salt in 
it ; and they brought it to him. And he went to the spring from 
which the water flowed, and threw the salt in there, and said, 
Thus saith the Lord, I have made these waters pure; they shall 
not any more cause the people to be sick, or the ground to be 
barren. So the waters were made pure from that day. 

And Elisha went from Jericho to Bethel ; as he was going, 
there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked 
him, and cried after him, saying, Go up, thou bald head ; go 
up, thou bald head. So they made sport of him, because he 
was bald, and told him to go up, as Elijah had gone up, when 
God took him to heaven. And Elisha turned back, and as 
he looked on them, asked the Lord to punish them for their 
sin. And there came forth two bears out of the wood, and 
tore forty-two children of them. 

After this Jehoram, king of Israel, gathered his army to- 
gether to fight against the Moabites. And he sent word to 
Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has 
rebelled against me ; wilt thou go with me against him to battle ? 
Jehoshaphat answered, I will go: and the king of Edom also 
went with them. So these three kings set out with their armies, 
and they marched seven days, and found no water for the host, 
nor for the cattle that they had brought with them to eat by the 




J 



BEARS DESTROY THE MOCKING CHILDREN 



23 



353 



354 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

way. Then the king of Israel was afraid, because his soldiers 
had no water to drink, and he said, Alas, the Moabites will 
gain the victory over us. 

Now Jehoram, the king of Israel, served idols that could not 
help him; but Jehoshaphat served the Lord, and he asked, say- 
ing, Is there no prophet here, who can inquire of the Lord for us 
what we shall do ? One of the king of Israel's servants answered, 
Elisha is here, who was the servant of Elijah. Jehoshaphat said, 
He is a prophet of the Lord; let us go to him. So Jehoram, 
king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of 
Edom, went to Elisha. And when Elisha saw the king of Israel, 
he said, Why dost thou come to me? Go to the false prophets 
of thy father Ahab, and thy mother Jezebel; let them help thee. 
The king of Israel answered that he had come because he was 
afraid of the Moabites, lest they should gain the victory over 
them. Elisha said to him, As surely as the Lord of hosts liveth, 
if it were not for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, who is with 
thee, I would not look toward thee nor see thee. 

Then the Lord commanded Elisha to tell the men of Israel to 
dig the valley, in which their camp was, full of ditches; for the 
Lord said that although there should be no wind nor rain, yet 
the ditches should be filled with water, that they and their cattle 
might drink. And the Lord will not only do this for you, Elisha 
said, but he will give you the victory over the Moabites, and you 
shall destroy their cities, and cut down their trees, and fill up 
their wells, and spoil the best of their land. And the words of 
Elisha came true, for the next morning the Lord caused water to 
flow into the valley, so that the ditches were filled with it. 

When the Moabites heard that the kings of Israel, of Judah, 
and of Edom had come up against them, they gathered all their 
army together and came near the camp of Israel. And the sun 
shone on the water in the ditches, and made it look red. Then 
the Moabites thought that their enemies had been fighting with 
one another, and that this was their blood. And they said, Let 
us go and take the spoil they have left. So they came near the 
camp; but when they saw the armies that were there, they were 
afraid and fled. And the men of Israel rose up and followed 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 355 

them, even into their own country. There they cut down the 
trees and destroyed the cities; they filled up the wells, and on 
every good piece of ground threw great quantities of stone and 
spoiled it, as Elisha had said they should. Afterward the men 
of Israel came back to their own land. 

And a woman, who was the wife of one of the scholars, or (as 
they were called at that time), the sons of the prophets, cried to 
Elisha, saying, My husband is dead, and thou knowest that he 
served the Lord. But he owed money that he was not able to 
pay ; and now the man to whom he owed it has come to take my 
two sons and make them his bondmen. Elisha said to her, What 
shall I do for thee ? Tell me, what hast thou in thy house ? She 
answered, I have not anything except a pot of oil. Then he said 
to her, Go, borrow empty vessels of all thy neighbors, and bring 
them into thy house and shut the door, and pour out of the pot 
of oil that thou hast, into the vessels thou hast borrowed, and 
set to one side those that are full. 

So she went and borrowed empty vessels, and carried them 
into her house and shut the door. Then her sons brought the 
empty vessels to her, while she poured out of the pot of oil into 
them, and the oil kept on coming until they were all full. But 
she did not know they were all full, and she said to her son, 
Bring me another vessel. He answered, There is not one more. 
Then she came and told Elisha, and he said, Go, sell the oil, and 
pay the man what thy husband owed him, and take the money 
that is left to buy food for thee and thy children. 

After these things, as Elisha journeyed through the land, he 
came to a city called Shunem, where lived a rich and great 
woman, and she begged him to stop at her house and eat food. 
She was so kind to him that whenever he passed by that way 
he stopped there and did eat. Then she said to her husband, 
I see that this is a prophet of the Lord who passes by us so 
often. Let us make a little chamber for him in our house, 
and put in it a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick; and 
whenever he comes to us he shall stay there. So they made 
it as she said. 

And it happened one day that Elisha came with his servant, 



356 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

whose name was Gehazi, and went into the chamber, and lay 
down there to rest. And he said to Gehazi, Call this woman. 
When Gehazi had called her, she came and stood before him. 
And Elisha told him to say to her, Thou hast been very kind 
to us, what shall be done for thee? Is there anything thou 
wouldst have me ask for thee from the king, or from the cap- 
tain of the army ? But she answered that she was satisfied with 
the things that she had ; and she went away again. Then Elisha 
said to Gehazi, What is to be done for her? Gehazi answered, 
She has no child. And Elisha said, Call her. When Gehazi 
called her she came again and stood in the door. Then Elisha 
told her that the Lord would give her a son. And the wordsr 
that Elisha spoke came true, for after these things the Lord 

gave her a son. 

When the child was grown, he went out one day in the field 
to his father, among the reapers. And while he was there he 
grew sick, and cried to his father, My head, my head. His 
father said to one of the young men, Carry him to his mother. 
When the young man had carried him to her, the boy sat in 
her lap till noon, and then died. And she took him up to the 
chamber which she had made for Elisha, and laid him on 
the bed, and shut the door and went out. And she called to 
her husband, saying, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young 
men, and one of the asses, that I may make haste to the prophet 
and come back again. Now her husband did not know that 
the boy was dead, and he said to her, Why wilt thou go to 
the prophet to-day? This is not a feast day nor the sabbath. 
She answered, It is well for me to go. Then she rode on the 
ass and said to the servant who went with her, Drive on, and 
make haste, and do not stop till I bid thee. So she came to 
Elisha at mount Carmel. 

When Elisha saw her a good way off, he said to Gehazi, his 
servant, Look, yonder comes that Shunamite. Run to meet her, 
and say, Is it well with thee ? Is it well with thy husband ? Is 
it well with the child ? And Gehazi ran and asked her. She 
answered, It is well. When she came to Elisha, she kneeled 
down, and caught him by the feet, and Gehazi came near to 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



357 



thrust her away. But Elisha said, Let her alone, for her 
soul is troubled within her, and the Lord hath not told me 
what her trouble is. And the woman said to Elisha, Did I 
ask that I might have a son? Then he knew that the boy 

was dead. 

And he said to Gehazi, Make ready, take my staff in thy 
hand and go to the child. Go in haste; if thou meet any man 




ELISHA BRINGS TO LIFE THE SON OF THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN 

by the way, do not stop to speak with him, and if any man 
speak to thee, do not stop to answer him; and lay my staff upon 
the face of the child. But the woman said to Elisha, As surely 
as the Lord liveth, and as thou art living, I will not go without 
thee. Then he rose up and went after her. Now Gehazi had 
gone on before them, and he came to the woman's house and 
went up into the prophet's chamber and laid the staff on the face 
of the child. But the child did not speak, nor hear; therefore 



358 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Gehazi turned back to meet Elisha, and he came to him and 
said, The child has not awaked. 

When Elisha came into the house the child was dead, and 
lying upon the bed. He went into the chamber, therefore, 
and shut the door and prayed to the Lord. And he got up 
on the bed, and lay upon the child, arid put his mouth upon 
the child's mouth, and his eyes upon the child's eyes, and his 




THE BOY GOES OUT WITH HIS MOTHER 



hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon the 
child, and the child's flesh grew warm. Then Elisha came 
out of the chamber, and walked for a while up and down in 
the house. And he went up and stretched himself again upon 
the child; and the child sneezed seven times, and opened his 
eyes and came to life again. And Elisha spoke to Gehazi, say- 
ing, Call this Shunamite. So Gehazi called her; and when she 
had come into the chamber, Elisha said to her, Take thy son. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 359 

Then she bowed down to the ground in thankfulness, and took 

her son and went out. 

And Elisha came to Gilgal. While the sons of the prophets 
who lived there were sitting before him, he said to his servants, 
Set the great pot on the fire, and boil pottage for the sons of the 
prophets to eat. And one of them went out into the field to 
gather herbs for the pottage, and found a wild vine which was 
poisonous; but he did not know that it was poisonous, and he 
gathered his lap full of it, and when he came into the house, 
sprinkled it into the pot. After the pottage was cooked, they 
poured it out for the men to eat. But as they were eating, they 
tasted the vine and cried, O thou prophet, there is poison in the 
pot! And they could not eat of it. Elisha said to them, Bring 
here some meal. And they brought it, and he cast it into the 
pot; then he said, Pour out now, that you may eat. And they 
ate of it, and it did them no harm. 

And there came a man with a present for Elisha of twenty 
loaves of bread, and some ears of corn. Then Elisha told his 
servant to give them to the sons of the prophets, for they wanted 
food, because there was a scarceness of bread in the land. 
But the servant said, What, shall I set so small a quantity 
before a hundred men, that they may eat? Elisha answered, 
Set it before them, for thus saith the Lord, They shall all have 
enough, and some shall be left. Then the servant obeyed, 
and as the food was divided among the people, the Lord caused 
the twenty loaves of bread and the ears of corn to increase so 
that there was enough for them all. And after they had eaten, 
some was still left. 



2 KINGS V-VII (5-7) 

ELISHA HEALS NAAMAN OF HIS LEPROSY. GEHAZI TAKES A PRESENT FROM 
NAAMAN. ELISHA MAKES THE AXE FLOAT IN JORDAN. BENHADAD'S 
ARMY IS STRUCK WITH BLINDNESS AT DOTHAN. THE SYRIANS BESIEGE 
SAMARIA. IN THE FAMINE A WOMAN EATS HER SON. ELISHA FORETELLS 
THE END OF THE SIEGE. 

Now Naaman, the captain of the army of the Syrians, was 
a great man with his master, the king of Syria, because he 



360 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

had gone out to war against the king's enemies, and gained the 
victory over them. Naaman was also a mighty and brave soldier, 
but he was a leper. And the Syrians had brought away captive 
out of the land of Israel a little maid who waited on Naaman's 
wife. And one day she said to her mistress, I wish that my mas- 
ter could see the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would cure 
him of his leprosy. And it was told Benhadad, the king of Syria, 
what the little maid said. Then the king spoke to Naaman, 
saying, Thou shalt go to Samaria, and I will give thee a letter to 
the king of Israel who lives there. 

So Naaman started to go, and took with him ten talents of 
silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment, 
that he might have a present for the man who should make him 
well. And he came to the city of Samaria, and brought the 
letter to Jehoram, king of Israel. Benhadad's letter said, I 
have sent Naaman my servant, to thee, that thou mayest cure 
him of his leprosy. When the king of Israel had read the 
letter, he was troubled, and rent his clothes, and said to his ser- 
vants, Have I the power of God, that I can cure this man of 
his leprosy? See now, how Benhadad is seeking for an excuse 
to make a quarrel against me. 

But when Elisha heard that the king had rent his clothes and 
was troubled, he sent word to him, saying, Why hast thou rent 
thy clothes? Let the man come now to me, and he shall know 
that there is indeed a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with 
his horses, and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the 
house of Elisha. And Elisha sent out a messenger to him, 
saying, Go, wash seven times in the river Jordan, and thou 
shalt be clean; that is, made well. 

But when the messenger came to Naaman, and told him 
these words, he was angry, and said, I thought the prophet 
would surely come out to me himself, and pray to the Lord 
his God, and put his hand upon me and make me well. Are 
not the rivers in my own country better than all the rivers in 
the land of Israel? So he turned and went away in a rage. 
But his servants came near to him and said, My father, if the 
prophet had bid thee do some hard thing that thou mightest 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



361 



be made well, wouldst thou not have done it? How much 
better then it would be to obey him, when he tells thee only to 
wash, and be clean. 

Then Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in 
the river Jordan, and his flesh grew pure and clean as the flesh 
of a little child, and he was made well of his leprosy. And 
he went back to the house of Elisha, he and all the men who 
were with him, and he said, Now I know there is no other God 




NAAMAN DIPS SEVEN TIMES IN THE RIVER JORDAN 

in all the earth, but the God of Israel ? Then he said to Elisha, 
I pray thee take a present from thy servant. But Elisha an- 
swered, As surely as the Lord liveth, I will take no present from 
thee. And Naaman begged him, but he would not. 

Then Naaman asked permission to take from the land of 
Israel some earth, as much as two mules could carry, that he 
might make an altar with it, when he should go back to his 
own land; for he said, that he would never again offer a burnt 
offering to any other god but to the Lord. Now Naaman's 



362 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

master, the king of Syria, was an idolater; he worshipped idols. 
And Naaman said that when his master should go into the 
idol's house to worship, he would want Naaman to go also, that 
he might lean on Naaman's arm. And Naaman asked Elisha 
whether the Lord would forgive him when he went into the idol's 
house with his master, and bowed down With his master before 
the idol, if he did not worship it in his heart ? And Elisha told 
him to go in peace. 

And Naaman left Elisha's house to go back to his own land. 
But when he had gone a little way, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, 
said to himself, My master would take no present from this 
Naaman, but as surely as the Lord liveth, I will run after him 
and take something for myself. So Gehazi followed Naaman, 
and when Naaman saw him running after him, he stopped his 
chariot and came down to meet him, and said, Is all well ? Ge- 
hazi answered, All is well; but my master sent me to tell thee, 
that since thou didst leave him, there are come to him two young 
men who are sons of the prophets ; and he asks thee to give them 
a talent of silver and two changes of garments. Naaman an- 
swered, I pray thee, take two talents. And Naaman took two 
talents of silver bound in two bags, and two changes of raiment, 
and gave them to two of his servants to carry for Gehazi, be- 
cause they were heavy; and they carried them before him. 
But when they came to Elisha's house, Gehazi took them from 
the servants' hands and hid them in a secret place ; and the men 
went back to Naaman again. 

Then Gehazi came in and stood before his master. Now the 
Lord had told Elisha what Gehazi had done; so when he 
came and stood before him, Elisha said, Where hast thou been, 
Gehazi? Gehazi answered, Thy servant has been nowhere. 
Elisha said, Did I not know it, when Naaman came down from 
his chariot to meet thee ? Is this a time for us to take money, and 
garments, and riches? Therefore, because thou hast done this 
thing, the leprosy which Naaman has been cured of shall be 
on thee and on thy children forever. And as Elisha spoke, 
the leprosy came on Gehazi, and he went out from him covered 
with it, as white as snow. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



363 



And the sons of the prophets spoke to Elisha, saying, Behold 
now the house in which we live is too small for us. Let us go, 
we pray thee, to the river Jordan and cut down trees, and take 
each of us, a beam, and build a larger house in which we may 
live. And one of them said to Elisha, I pray thee go with us. 
Elisha said, I will go. Then he went with them, and when they 
came to Jordan they cut down trees there. But while one of 




ELISHA MAKES THE AXE FLOAT 



them was doing it, the head of his axe flew off from the handle 
and fell into the water. And he came to Elisha and said, Alas, 
master, for it was borrowed. Elisha said, Where did it fall? 
The young man showed him the place. Then Elisha cut down 
a stick from a tree, and threw it into the river where the axe had 
fallen, and the iron axe rose and floated on the top of the water. 
And Elisha said to the young man, Take it up. And he put 
out his hand and took it. 



364 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

After this Benhadad, king of Syria, made war against Israel, 
and commanded his soldiers where they should go to find Jeho- 
ram, king of Israel, and take him captive. But when they came 
to the place, Jehoram had fled, because Elisha had told him the 
Syrians were coming there. And so it happened wherever the 
Syrians went to find Jehoram. Then Benhadad was greatly 
troubled about this thing, for he knew not who told the king of 
Israel, but thought it must be one of his servants. Therefore Ben- 
hadad called his servants to him, and asked them, saying, Will 
you not tell me which of you is on the king of Israel's side? 
One of them answered, None of us is on his side, O king; it is 
Elisha the prophet, who tells him where thou dost send us; he 
tells him also the words thou dost speak, even when thou art 
shut up in thy bed-chamber. 

Then the king of Syria said, Go, and inquire where Elisha is, 
that I may send and take him. When they had inquired, they 
came and told Benhadad that he was in the city of Dothan. 
Therefore Benhadad sent horses and chariots and soldiers to 
Dothan, and they came by night and spread themselves around 
the city. In the morning, when Elisha's servant had risen up 
early and gone out of the house, he saw them. And he came 
to Elisha, saying, Alas, my master, what shall we do ? Elisha 
answered, Fear not, for we have more on our side than the king 
of Syria has on his. Then Elisha prayed that the Lord would 
make his servant able to see who were there to take care of him. 
And the Lord made the servant see; and, behold, the mountain 
on which the city stood was full of horses and chariots of fire, 
that the Lord had sent to guard Elisha. 

When Benhadad's soldiers came to the city to take him, 
Elisha prayed that the Lord would send blindness upon them. 
And the Lord did as Elisha asked, and made them blind, so 
that they groped about, needing some one to lead them. And 
Elisha went to them, and said, Come after me, and I will bring you 
to the man you seek. Then he led them to the city of Samaria, 
where the king of Israel lived. After they had come there, Elisha 
prayed to the Lord that he would open their eyes. And the Lord 
opened their eyes, and they saw where Elisha had led them. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 365 

Then Jehoram, king of Israel, said to Elisha, Shall I now 
smite them and slay them? Elisha answered, Thou shalt not 
slay them, but shalt set bread and water before them, that they 
may eat and drink, and go back to their own land. And Jeho- 
ram did as Elisha said. He made food ready for them, and 
when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away; and they 
went back to their master, Benhadad, the king of Syria. 

But not long after this, Benhadad gathered his army together 
and went up to fight against the city of Samaria. His soldiers 
besieged it, and would let no bread be brought in for the men 
of Israel, and there was a great famine in the city. And as 
the king of Israel walked among his soldiers on the top of the 
wall, a woman called out to him, saying, Help me, O king! 
He said, What aileth thee? She answered, This woman who 
is with me, said to me the other day, Give thy little son, that 
we may eat him to-day, and I will give my son to-morrow. 
So we killed my son and did eat him. And I said to her the 
next day, Give thy son that we may eat him; and she would 
not, but took him and hid him. 

When king Jehoram heard the words of the woman, he rent 
his clothes, for it grieved him to know that the famine was so 
dreadful in the city, and that such a thing had been done among 
the people. But Jehoram was a wicked man, like Ahab, his 
father. It was for his sins, and the sins of the people, that God 
sent these troubles upon them. Jehoram should have repented, 
and asked God to take his troubles away. Instead of this, he 
blamed them on Elisha, and said that the prophet should be 
put to death that very day. But Elisha knew the king would 
send a messenger to kill him. And when the messenger came 
to his house, Elisha commanded the men who were with him 
to shut the door, so that he might not come in. 

Then the king himself came to Elisha's house, leaning on 
the arm of one of his officers. And Elisha told them that the 
Lord said the famine should cease, and that on the morrow there 
would be plenty of food in the city. But the officer, on whose 
arm the king leaned, would not believe it. Then Elisha told 
him that, because he did not believe the words of the Lord, he 



3 66 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

should see those words come true, but should not taste of the 
food which the Lord would send. 

Now four men of the children of Israel, who were lepers, sat 
together by the gate of the city. And they said to one another, 
Why do we sit here until we starve ? If we go into the city the 
famine is in the city, and we shall die there. If we sit still 
here, we have nothing to eat, and we shall die here also. Come, 
therefore, let us go out to the army of the Syrians. If they 
do not kill us we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die. 
So they rose up in the evening, and went out to the camp of 
the Syrians, but when they came to it no man was there. For 
the Lord had made the Syrians think that they heard the noise 
of chariots, and horses, and a great army, coming out against 
them. Therefore they had risen up, as it grew dark, and left 
their tents and their horses, and everything that was in their 
camp, and fled for their lives. 

When the lepers had gone all through the camp and seen no 
man, they went into one of the tents and ate and drank of the 
food that was there. They also took silver and gold and raiment 
that they found, and went away and hid them. And they came 
again and went into another tent, and carried away more silver 
and gold, and hid it also. Then they said to one another, We 
are not doing right, because we have good news for the people, 
yet do not tell them. If we stay here till morning, some punish- 
ment will be sent upon us. Now, therefore come, let us go and 
tell the king of Israel. 

So they came to the city, and called to the porters who watched 
at the gate, saying, We have been to the camp of the Syrians, 
and found no man there, but horses tied, and asses and tents, just 
as they were left. Then the porters went and told the king. And 
the king rose up in the night, and said to his servants, I will tell 
you now what the Syrians have done. They know that we are 
hungry; therefore they have gone from the camp a little way, 
and hid themselves, so that when we shall come out of the city 
to get food, they may rise up and take us captives. 

And one of the king's servants answered him, saying, Let us 
take some of the horses that are left alive and go out and see. 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 367 

They took, therefore, two chariot horses; and the king sent men 
with them to go and look for the army of the Syrians. And the 
men went as far as the river Jordan, and could not find them. 
But all the road was strewed with garments and vessels that 
the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the men came 
back to Samaria and told the king. 

When the people heard it, they went out to the camp of the 
Syrians, and brought away all the flour and the grain that the 
Syrians had left. So the famine was ended, and there was plenty 
of food in the city. And the king sent that officer on whose 
arm he leaned, and who would not believe the words of Ehsha, 
to stand at the gate and keep the people in order. But the people 
crowded on him in such numbers, that he was trodden under 
foot and killed. So it happened to him as Elisha had said; he 
saw the famine ended, but did not taste of the food that God 
sent for the people. L 

2 KINGS VIII-X (8-10), XIII (13) 

ELISHA TELLS THE SHUNAMITE OF THE COMING FAMINE. HE PROPHESIES 
THAT HAZAEL WILL BE KING OVER SYRIA. JEHU IS ANOINTED KING 
OF ISRAEL. JEHORAM AND JEZEBEL ARE SLAIN. THE REIGNS OF JE- 
HOAHAZ AND JEHOASH. ELISHA DIES. 

After these things, Elisha spoke to the woman whose son 
he had brought to life again, saying, Go, thou and thy family, 
to live a while in some other land, for the Lord is going to send 
a famine on the land of Israel which shall last seven years. 
And the woman did as Elisha told her; she went with her 
family into the land of the Philistines, and lived there for seven 
years. Then she came back again into the land of Israel, but 
found that, while she was gone, another person had taken her 

house and her fields. 

And she went with her son to king Jehoram, to beg of him 
that they might be given back to her. When she came to the 
king's house, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, was there; the king 
was talking with him, and said to him, Tell me, I pray thee, of 
all the great things that Elisha has done. While Gehazi was tell- 
ing how Elisha had brought a dead body to life, the woman and 



368 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

her son came in to speak with the king. And Gehazi said, My 
lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha 
brought to life again. And when the king asked her about it, 
she told him it was true. Then he commanded one of his 
officers, saying, Give back to this woman her house and her land, 
and enough money also to pay for the fruit and the grain that 
have grown in her fields, since she has been in the land of the 
Philistines. 

Elisha came to Damascus, where Benhadad, the king of 
Syria, lived, and it was told the king that he had come. Now 
Benhadad was sick, and when he heard that Elisha had come 
to the city, he said to Hazael, one of his officers, Take a pres- 
ent with thee, and go to meet Elisha, the prophet, and tell him 
to ask of God for me whether I shall get well of my sickness. 
So Hazael went to meet Elisha, and took a present with him, 
some of all the good things of Damascus, as much as forty camels 
would carry. 

Then he came and stood before Elisha, and said, The king 
of Syria has sent me to ask thee whether he shall get well of his 
sickness? Elisha answered, Go and tell him that he is not so 
sick but that he might get well, and yet the Lord has shown 
me that he will die. Then Elisha looked at Hazael, without 
speaking, until Hazael was ashamed; and Elisha wept. Hazael 
said, Why weepeth my lord? Elisha answered, Because I 
know the evil things that thou wilt do to the children of Israel ; 
their cities thou wilt set on fire, their young men thou wilt 
slay with the sword, and their women and little children thou 
wilt cruelly put to death. Then Hazael was astonished, and 
said, What, is thy servant a dog, that he should do these things? 
Elisha answered, The Lord has shown me that thou shalt be 
king over Syria. 

So Hazael went back to king Benhadad, who asked him, 
saying, What said Elisha to thee ? Hazael answered, He told 
me that thou shouldst surely get well. But the next day 
Hazael took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and brought 
it into the chamber where the king was sick. And he spread 
it over the king's face, so that he could not breathe, and 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 369 

Benhadad, the king of Syria, died; and Hazael made himself 

king of that land. 

Now Jezebel, the wicked wife of Ahab, was still living in 
the city of Jezreel, and Jehoram, her son, the king of Israel, 
was there with her. 

And Elisha called a young man, who was one of the sons 
of the prophets, and said to him, Carry some oil with thee, 
and go to the city of Ramoth-gilead, and there look for Jehu, 
who is captain in the king of Israel's army. When thou hast 
found him, take him into a secret chamber alone, and pour the 
oil on his head, and say, The Lord has anointed thee to be 
king over Israel. Then open the door and flee, stay not. So 
the young man went to Ramoth-gilead, and found there the 
captains of the army sitting together, and Jehu was with them. 
And the young man went to them, and said, I have a message 
for thee, O captain. Jehu said, For which one of us? The 
young man answered, For thee. 

Then Jehu rose up, and went with him into the house, and the 
young man poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus 
saith the Lord, I have anointed thee to be king over Israel. 
And after thou art made king, thou shalt put to death all who 
are left of the family of Ahab, that I may punish them for kill- 
ing my prophets, and for the death of all my servants whom 
the wicked Jezebel has slain. For the whole family of Ahab 
shall be destroyed, as the family of Jeroboam was destroyed, 
till not one of them is left. The dogs shall eat Jezebel in 
the city of Jezreel, and there shall be no one to bury her. 
When the young man had spoken these words to Jehu, he 
opened the door of the house and fled. 

And Jehu came out again to the captains of the army, and 
one of them asked him, saying, What did this mad fellow say to 
thee? He answered, He told me that the Lord anointed me to 
be king over Israel. Then the captains all made haste and 
blew with trumpets, and cried out, Jehu is king! So they 
made Jehu king instead of Jehoram. 

And Jehu said to the captains, Let no one go to Jezreel to tell 
king Jehoram of what we have done, for I myself will go there. 

24 



370 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Then Jehu made ready his chariot, and rode to Jezreel. As he 
came near the city, the watchman, who stood on the tower over 
the gate, saw him and the men who were with him. And the 
watchman told king Jehoram of it. Jehoram said, Send out a 
horseman to ask whether they are coming for peace or for war ? 
So there went out a man on horseback to meet Jehu, and when 
he met him, he asked, Are you coming for peace or for war? 
But Jehu would not answer him; he commanded the man to go 
behind his chariot, and follow after it. 

Then Jehoram sent out another man, who came and asked 
the same question. And Jehu would not answer him, but com- 
manded him also to go behind his chariot and follow after it. 
When Jehoram saw that the men did not come back to tell 
what Jehu said, he got into his chariot, and rode out himself to 
meet him. And he came to him and said, Is it peace, Jehu? 
Jehu answered, How can there be peace while the sins of thy 
mother Jezebel are so many? When Jehoram heard this, he 
turned the horses of his chariot to flee, for he saw that Jehu had 
come to fight against him. But Jehu drew a bow with all his 
might, and shot an arrow at Jehoram, that went into his heart, 
and he fell down dead in his chariot. Then Jehu commanded 
his captain to throw Jehoram's dead body on the ground. 
The place where he threw it was in the vineyard that Ahab, 
Jehoram's father, had taken from Naboth; for Naboth's vine- 
yard was in the city of Jezreel. 

Then Jehu came into the city. And Jezebel, Jehoram's 
mother, heard of it, and she put on her ornaments, and painted 
her face, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu came in at 
the gate of the city, she spoke to him. But he looked up at the 
window, and said to the men in the house with her, Who is on 
my side? And there looked out to him two or three officers. 
Then Jehu said to them, Throw her down. So they threw her 
down, and her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and the horses of 
Jehu's chariot trod her under their feet. After Jehu had come 
out of his chariot, and had eaten and drunk, he said to his ser- 
vants, Go, see now where the dead body of that wicked woman 
is, and bury her, for she was a king's daughter. And they went 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



37i 



to bury her, but could find only her skull and her feet and the 
palms of her hands, for the dogs had eaten her flesh. 

And Jehu caused all the family of Ahab to be put to death. 
So the words of Elijah came true, which he spoke fifteen years 
before, when Ahab took from Naboth the vineyard which his 




THE DEATH OF JEZEBEL 



father had left him. At that time Elijah told Ahab that the Lord 
would send evil upon him and his family, until not one of 
them was left alive. And of Jezebel Elijah said, The dogs 
shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Yet Jehu did not do 
these things because he wanted to obey the Lord, but, like Ba- 
asha, who slew the family of Jeroboam, Jehu did them because 



372 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

he wanted to be great, and to make himself king. For he took 
no care in other things to obey the Lord with all his heart, but 
did wickedly like the kings who had lived before him. He 
reigned for twenty-eight years; and he died, and Jehoahaz, his 
son, was made king over Israel. 

• Jehoahaz disobeyed God as his father had done, and God 
was angry with him and the people of Israel. He sent against 
them Hazael, king of Syria. We have heard how Hazael 
murdered his master by spreading a wet cloth over his face 
while he was sick, and so made himself king. But God often 
sent wicked kings as a punishment against the children of 
Israel; and now he sent Hazael, the king of Syria. And Hazael 
did to them as Elisha had said he would do; he burned their 
cities and put their young men and women to death. He 
destroyed the army of Israel also, and allowed Jehoahaz to 
have only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot- 
men, so that he might not be able to rebel against him. Jehoa- 
haz reigned seventeen years, and he died, and Jehoash his son 
was made king. 

Now Elisha was sick and about to die. And king Jehoash 
came to see him, and stood by his bed and wept over him, and 
cried out as Elisha had cried to Elijah, O my father, my father, 
the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof. Elisha said to 
king Jehoash, Take a bow and arrows. And he took them. 
Elisha said to the king, Put thy hand on the bow. And he 
.put his hand on it; and Elisha put his hands upon the king's 
hands. And he said, Open the window toward the east. And 
he opened it. Elisha said, Shoot; and the king shot Then 
Elisha told the king what that arrow meant; he said it meant 
that Jehoash should gain the victory over the Syrians, and set 
the children of Israel free from them. 

And Elisha spoke to the king again, and told him to take 
the arrows in his hand, and strike with them on the ground. 
And the king struck with them three times and stopped. And 
Elisha was angry, and said, Thou shouldst have struck five or six 
times, for then thou wouldst have smitten the Syrians till they 
were destroyed; but now thou shalt smite them only three times. 




KING JEHOASH SHOOTS THE ARROW 



373 



374 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And Elisha died and they buried him. After this the Moab- 
ites came into the land to rob the men of Israel. And as some 
of the people were carrying out a dead man to bury him, they 
saw a band of the Moabites coming, then, because they were 
afraid, they did not go to the grave that was made ready for 
the man, but lowered him in haste into Elfsha's sepulchre. And 
when the dead body touched the bones of Elisha the man came 
to life again, and stood up on his feet. 

2 KINGS XIII-XVII (13-17). AMOS 

JEHOASH DIES AND JEROBOAM REIGNS. THE PROPHETS AMOS AND HOSEA 
ARE SENT. THE REIGNS OF ZACHARIAH, SHALLOT, MENAHEM, PEKA- 
HIAH, PEKAH, AND HOSHEA. THE TEN TRIBES ARE CARRIED AWAY 
CAPTIVE. 

After Elisha was dead, king Jehoash fought against the 
Syrians and gained the victory over them three times, as Elisha 
had told him he should, but he was not able wholly to destroy 
them. Jehoash was king for sixteen years, and he died, and 
they buried him in the city of Samaria; and Jeroboam, his son, 
was made king in his place. 

The Lord was kind to Jeroboam and the people of Israel, 
for he saw the sufferings which their enemies caused them, and 
he pitied them. He helped- Jeroboam as he had helped Jeho- 
ash, his father, in fighting against the Syrians, so that Jeroboam 
took from them two of their cities, Damascus and Hamath. 
But the men of Israel did not thank God for his kindness. 
Although he helped them in their trouble, and saved them from 
their enemies, they still worshipped the golden calves. 

Then the Lord sent Amos the prophet to speak to them. 
Amos came and said that they were the only people in all the 
earth whom the Lord had chosen for his own, yet, instead of 
serving him, they served idols, and disobeyed his command- 
ments. They were cruel to the poor, they deceived and robbed 
one another when they sold corn and wheat, they hated those 
persons who did justly and told the truth, but took bribes from 
the wicked and allowed them to go on in their wickedness. 

The Lord had seen all their sins, Amos said, and had kept 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 375 

back the rain from their fields, and sent famine and pestilence 
into their land, to show them he was angry; still they would 
not turn from their evil ways. Therefore a greater punishment 
should be sent upon them. There would be weeping and wail- 
ing in their streets, and their vineyards; for an enemy should 
come who would gain the victory over them, and treat them 
cruelly, and they should be carried away captives to other lands. 
Yet, Amos told them that if they would repent and obey the 
Lord, the Lord would forgive them. 

But woe, or sorrow, Amos said, should come to those who 
would not think of their sins, or of the punishment that was 
coming on the people ; who put all such thoughts out of their 
minds, and cared only to enjoy themselves; who lay on rich 
couches, and on beds of ivory; who ate lambs out of the flock, 
and fatted calves from the stall; who sang to instruments of 
music, and drank wine out of bowls. Those persons should be 
among the first to be carried away captives. 

After Amos had spoken these things to the people, Amaziah, 
who was the chief priest at the idol's temple at Bethel, sent to 
king Jeroboam, saying, Amos is speaking against thee. He 
says that thou shalt be slain, and the people carried away 
captive. Amaziah spoke to Amos also, and said to him, Go out 
of our land into the land of Judah, and prophesy to the people 
there, but do not prophesy any more here in Bethel. For this 
is the place where king Jeroboam lives, and where he worships 

the golden calves. 

Then Amos answered Amaziah, saying, I was not always a 
prophet, neither was I the son of a prophet; I was only a herds- 
man and gatherer of wild figs. But as I was driving my flock 
out in the field, the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to the chil- 
dren of Israel. Hear then, Amaziah, what the Lord commands 
me to say to thee. Thou tellest me not to prophesy to the people, 
when the Lord has sent me to prophesy to them. Now, there- 
fore, the Lord will send his punishment upon thee also: thy wife 
shall go away from thy home and leave thee alone; thy sons and 
thy daughters shall be slain by the sword, and thou thyself shalt 
die in a heathen land. 



37 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

King Jeroboam and the people heard the words of Amos, 
which the Lord had sent him to speak; and not the words of 
Amos only, but of the prophet Hosea also, who came and told 
them of their sins, and the great punishment which the Lord 
would send; he, too, begged them to repent, that the Lord might 
forgive them. Yet they would not listen to the words of the 
prophets, neither would they repent as the Lord commanded. 
Jeroboam was king forty-one years, and he died, and Zachariah, 
his son, was made king in his stead. 

Zachariah was king in the city of Samaria but six months. 
Then Shallum rebelled against him and killed him, and made 
himself king. But after Shallum had reigned only one month, 
Menahem came to Samaria and slew him, and Menahem was 

made king. 

Menahem reigned ten years, and all that time he did evil 
And Pul, the king of Assyria, came up against him. Then 
Menahem was afraid, and promised to pay Pul a thousand 
talents of silver if he would be his friend and help him, and 
allow him still to be king. Menahem had not this money 
himself, but he forced the rich men of his kingdom to give 
it to him, and when they had given it, he paid it to Pul. So 
Pul took the thousand talents and allowed Menahem still to 
be king over Israel. And Pul went back to his own land. 
After this Menahem died, and Pekahiah, his son, was made 
king in his place. 

The Bible tells us that Pekahiah sinned as Jeroboam, the first 
king of Israel, had done. We have read that Jeroboam was the 
one who first set up the golden calves as idols, and told the peo- 
ple that these were their gods that brought them up out of 
Egypt. And Pekahiah, when he was made king, did not put 
down these idols, but he went to their temples to worship them, 
and taught the people to go there, instead of going to Jerusalem 
to worship God. After he had been king for two years, Pekah, 
the son of one of his captains, came into the king's palace in the 
city of Samaria,- and killed him; and Pekah was made king. 

Pekah also did wickedly. He went up to Jerusalem to fight 
against that city, but was not able to take it. And the king of 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



377 



Assyria came with an army and made war against him, and 
carried away many of the people. After Pekah had been king 
twenty years, Hoshea rebelled against him and killed him, and 

made himself king. 

Hoshea was king for nine years, and he did evil and dis- 
pleased the Lord. Against him also the king of Assyria came 
up, and Hoshea promised to be his servant and obey him, and to 




THE KING OF ASSYRIA DEMANDS TRIBUTE 



pay him tribute money each year. But he did not keep his 
promise, for after the king of Assyria had gone back to his own 
land, Hoshea sent word to the king of Egypt, asking that king 
to help him against the king of Assyria ; neither did Hoshea 
send the king of Assyria tribute money as he had done in years 
before. Then the king of Assyria bound Hoshea and put him 
in prison, and came up with an army against Samaria and be- 
sieged it for three years, until he took the city. 



37 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

We have seen, by what we have now read, how wicked the 
people of Israel had been. Ever since they separated from the 
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and made a kingdom of their own, 
they had been sinning against God. For instead of doing as he 
taught them, they chose to do as the heathen nations did that 
lived around them. Those nations would 'not serve God, because 
he commanded them to be pure and holy; they served false gods, 
who, they pretended, allowed them to do everything that was 
wicked. The Bible tells us they worshipped their false gods in 
the high places. These were places where altars and images 
were set up. The heathen people made them on mountains 
and hills, and there they worshipped their false gods. 

And the people of Israel did like them. They, too, made 
high places on the mountains and hills, and they made them in 
their cities also. We are not told how they made them in their 
cities. Perhaps they were mounds of earth heaped up, or plat- 
forms of wood or stone, we cannot tell. All we know about 
them is that idols and altars were placed there. And there the 
people burnt incense and offered sacrifice to the idols. They 
kindled fires also, as the heathen nations used to do, and made 
their sons and their daughters go through the fires and be 
burned, because, they said, the idols would be pleased with it. 

And God was very angry with the people of Israel for these 
things. Yet he waited long for them to turn from evil ways ; as 
we have read, he sent famine and pestilence and war into their 
land to show them he was angry. When they still continued 
to disobey him, he sent his prophets to warn them. We have 
been told how those prophets came and preached to the people, 
telling them of the punishment that was coming upon them, and 
begging them to repent and cease doing evil, so that God might 
forgive them, and keep them for his children: but they would 
not. So at last God did to them what his prophets had said 
he would do. He drove the people of Israel out of Canaan, as 
he had driven out the heathen nations that lived there before 
them. For the king of Assyria, after he had shut up Hoshea 
in prison, went through all the land of Israel and took the peo- 
ple and carried them away captive to the land of Assyria. There 



THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL 



379 



he gave them cities to live in; but he would not let them come 
back to the land of Israel again. 

So the kingdom of Israel was ended. It had lasted two hun- 
dred and fifty-four years, ever since the ten tribes chose Jero- 
boam for their king. Nineteen kings had ruled over them dur- 
ing that time, every one of whom did evil and disobeyed the 




THE PEOPLE CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE TO ASSYRIA 



Lord The king of Assyria sent people from his own land 
to live in the cities of Israel, where the ten tribes had lived; 
and they came and lived there, and took those cities for their 
own. But we do not read that the ten tribes ever returned, and 
no one can tell what afterward became of them. 

We have now finished the story of the kingdom of Israel, 
and will go back two hundred and fifty-four years, to begin 
the story of the kingdom of Judah. 



3 8o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



THE STORY OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



1 KINGS XII-XXII (12-22). 2 CHRON. XI-XXI (11-21) 

REHOBOAM, HAVING GROWN RICH AND STRONG, DISOBEYS GOD AND WORSHIPS 
IDOLS. THE KING OF EGYPT COMES UP AGAINST HIM. THE REIGNS OF 
ABIJAH, ASA, AND JEHOSHAPHAT. 

We have read that Rehoboam, Solomon's son, was made 
king over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and that he lived 
at Jerusalem, where the temple stood which his father had built. 
We have read also that Jeroboam would not allow the people 
of the ten tribes to go to Jerusalem to worship at the temple, 
as God had commanded; but he set up two golden calves in 
that part of the land where the ten tribes lived, and taught the 
people to worship them. 

Yet the priests and the Levites, who were living among the 
ten tribes at that time, would not worship the golden calves. 
They came, with many other persons, to live at Jerusalem, 
and chose Rehoboam for their king. They made his kingdom 
greater and stronger by coming, because there were so many of 
them, and because they were the ones whom the Lord- would 
bless. And for three years Rehoboam and his people did what 
was right and obeyed the Lord. 

But when he grew rich and strong, and was no longer in fear 
that his kingdom would be taken from him, he ceased obeying 
the Lord. For he and all the people of Judah began to wor- 
ship idols, and, like the people of Israel, they built high places 
in the cities, and on every high hill, and there they set up their 
idols and worshipped them. Then the Lord sent the king of 
Egypt against Judah. That king brought with him twelve 
hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen, and a very great 
army. He took many cities in the land, and afterward came 
up to Jerusalem. And Rehoboam and the princes of the people 
were afraid of him. 

Then there came a prophet who said to them, Thus saith the 
Lord, You have left off serving me, therefore I will not help you 
against the king of Egypt. When Rehoboam and the princes 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 381 

heard this, they bowed their heads, and confessed that the Lord 
did right to punish them. Then the Lord sent his prophet again 
to tell them that, because they humbled themselves before him, 
the king of Egypt should not destroy them, and yet, because they 
had done wickedly, he should make them his servants. So the 
king of Egypt came with his army into Jerusalem, and took away 
much gold and silver out of the temple, and out of the king's 
palace. But afterward he returned to his own land. 

Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he was made king; 
he reigned seventeen years; then he died, and was buried in 
Jerusalem, and Abijah, his son, was made king in his place. 

There was war between Abijah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, 
king of Israel. Abijah made ready for the battle with an army 
of four hundred thousand men, but Jeroboam had eight hundred 
thousand. Before the battle began, Abijah stood on a mountain 
where Jeroboam and his men could hear him, and he said to 
them, Hear me, Jeroboam, and all you men of Israel, do you 
not know that God made David and his sons to be kings over 
the children of Israel forever? Yet Jeroboam has rebelled, and 
made himself king. And he has brought out wicked men to 
fight with us. You are a great multitude, and have with you 
the golden calves which Jeroboam made for your gods, but we 
worship the Lord: he is with us, and is our captain. O, then, 
you men of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, for if you do 
you shall not prosper. 

But while Abijah was speaking, Jeroboam led out his army 
and the battle began. And the men of Judah cried to the Lord 
for help, and the priests who were with them blew on their 
trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout, and as they 
did so, God helped them, and Jeroboam and his army fled away. 
And Abijah and his people followed them, and fought against 
them, and a great number of the men of Israel fell down slain. So 
the men of Judah gained the victory, because they trusted in God. 
And Abijah pursued Jeroboam into the land of the ten tribes, and 
took cities from him. Jeroboam was never able to bring out an 
army against Abijah again. Abijah reigned for three years, then 
he died, and Asa, his son, was made king. 



382 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Asa did what was right, and pleased the Lord. And the 
Lord gave the people rest from war. Then Asa said to them, 
Let us build more cities in our land, with walls around them, 
and towers, and gates, and bars, so that our enemies cannot take 
them from us. And they built more cities, and their kingdom 
grew strong and prospered. 

Asa had an army of three hundred thousand men out of the 
tribe of Judah that carried shields and spears, and of two hundred 





JEROBOAM'S ARMY DRIVEN AWAY BY THE MEN OF JUDAH 

and eighty thousand out of the tribe of Benjamin that carried 
bows and arrows; all these were brave soldiers. Yet the king 
of Ethiopia made war against him with an army much greater 
than his. And Asa came out of the battle, and he cried to the 
Lord, and said, It is no trouble for thee to help us whether we 
have many soldiers or few; help us, O Lord, our God, for in thy 
name we go out against this great multitude. O Lord, let them 
not gain the victory over us. So the Lord helped the men of 
Judah in the battle, and gave them the victory; and they took 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 383 

much spoil from the Ethiopians, and carried away great numbers 
of their sheep and camels. Afterward, Asa and his army came 
back to Jerusalem. 

And the Lord sent a prophet who spoke to them, saying, Hear 
me, Asa, and all you men of Judah and Benjamin: The Lord 
will be with you, to help you, as long as you shall serve him; but 
if you forsake him he will forsake you. Therefore fear not to do 
what is right, and you shall be rewarded. When Asa heard 
these words, he took courage, and put away the idols that the 
people had set up through the land, and repaired and made new 
the altar of burnt offering that stood in the court of the temple ; 
for the people had allowed it to go to decay. Then he gathered 
all the people together at Jerusalem, and he offered up, out of 
the spoil that had been taken from the Ethiopians, seven hun- 
dred oxen and seven thousand sheep. And the people made a 
covenant with the Lord, and promised to serve him with all their 
heart and with all their soul ; and they said that whoever would 
not serve him should be put to death, whether he was rich or 
poor, whether it was a man or a woman. 

After Asa had been king over Judah for thirty-five years, 
Baasha, the king of Israel, came up to make war against him. 
Then Asa, instead of praying to the Lord for help, took silver 
and gold out of the temple, and out of his own palace, and sent it 
to the king of Syria, saying, Behold, I have sent thee a present of 
silver and gold. Go, therefore, and make war against Baasha, 
king of Israel, so that he may not fight against me. And the 
king of Syria did as Asa asked him. He sent his army against 
some of the cities of Israel, and when Baasha heard of it he re- 
turned to his own land, and fought against Asa no more. 

But the Lord sent a prophet to reprove Asa for seeking help 
from the king of Syria instead of from him. Were not the Ethi- 
opians a great army, the prophet asked, with very many chariots 
and horsemen? Yet, because thou didst trust in the Lord, he 
gave thee the victory over them. For the eyes of the Lord look 
up and down through the whole world, to watch over those who 
love him, that he may help them. Thou hast done foolishly. 
Therefore, from this time thy enemies shall make war against 



384 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

thee. But Asa was angry with the prophet, and shut him up in 
prison for speaking these words. 

After he had been king for thirty-eight years, there came 
a disease in his feet. It grew worse until it was very great. 
Yet in his sickness, he did not ask the Lord to heal him, but 
trusted only in his physicians. He was king forty-one years, 
when he died. And his servants laid him in a bed filled with sweet- 
smelling spices, that the apothecaries had made ready. And they 
buried him in a sepulchre which he had made for himself, in 
Jerusalem; and Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned in his stead. 

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because from the time he 
was made king he did what was right. Therefore, the Lord 
gave him the kingdom to keep it; and all the people brought 
him gifts, and he had riches and honor in plenty. In the third 
year of his reign he sent men through all the cities of Judah, 
with the book which had God's laws written in it, that they 
might teach them to the people. And the Lord made the 
heathen nations afraid to come out to war against Jehoshaphat. 
The Philistines brought him presents and tribute money; and 
the Arabians brought him flocks, as many as seven thousand 
seven hundred sheep, and seven thousand seven hundred goats. 
And he became very great and had a great army. He built 
castles, and store cities also, in which to keep his riches. 

But after this he went down to the city of Samaria, to visit 
Ahab, king of Israel. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen, and 
made a feast for him, and persuaded him to go out to war 
against the king of Syria. We have read how Jehoshaphat put 
on his royal robes, and went into the battle, and how the Syrians 
thought it was Ahab, and tried to kill him. But when he cried 
out, they turned away from following him, because God would 
not let them come near to put him to death. When the battle 
was over Jehoshaphat came back to Jerusalem. 

And the Lord sent a prophet to meet him, who said, Was it 
right for thee to help the wicked Ahab, and to go out to war 
with men who hate the Lord? Therefore, the Lord is angry 
with thee. Yet thou hast done well in other things: in taking 
away the altars and the high places, where the people worshipped 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 385 

idols, and in making thy own heart ready to serve God. After 
this Jehoshaphat went no more to the city of Samaria, but 
lived in Jerusalem ; and he went out through the land of Judah, 
commanding the people to put away their idols. He set judges, 
also, in all the cities of Judah to punish those who did wrong, 
and to save the innocent from harm. He said to the judges, Be 
careful that you act justly, for you must give»account, not to me, 
but to the Lord, who sees all you do. Therefore, fear him. 

And the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites came 
up to fight against Jehoshaphat. When he heard of it, he sent 
word to all the people that they should eat no food, but should 
fast and pray. And the people came out of all the cities of 
Judah to the temple at Jerusalem, and prayed for help. Then 
Jehoshaphat stood up before them, and said, O Lord, art thou 
not our God, who didst drive out the heathen from this land, and 
give it to thy people, the children of Israel ? We have lived here, 
and we have built a temple in which to worship thee, and pray 
to thee. But now the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the Edom- 
ites have gathered together to drive us out of the land which 
thou hast given us. Wilt thou not punish them ? For we are not 
able to fight with the great army they are bringing against us. 
And we know not what to do, but are looking up to thee. While 
Jehoshaphat prayed, all the people stood up before the Lord, 
with their little babes, their wives, and their children. 

Then the Lord sent a prophet to speak to Jehoshaphat and 
the people, saying, Be not afraid of this multitude. To-morrow 
go out against them. You will find them by the brook in the 
wilderness. And you need not fight with them; only stand 
still, and you shall see how the Lord will save you. O men of 
Judah and Jerusalem, fear not, for the Lord will help you. 
When the prophet had spoken these words, king Jehoshaphat 
bowed his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah 
and Jerusalem fell down and worshipped. 

Early in the morning they went out to meet their enemies. 
As they were going, Jehoshaphat said to his soldiers, Trust in 
the Lord and believe what his prophet has said; then you shall 
have the victory. And Jehoshaphat set men in front of the 

25 



3 86 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



army to sing praises to God. As these began to praise him, 
God helped the men of Judah, for he caused the Moabites, the 
Ammonites, and the Edomites to fight with each other, and slay 
one another. And when the men of Judah came near, they saw 
their enemies lying dead upon the ground. Then they went 
among the slain, and gathered from their dead bodies gold and 
silver, and precious jewels, more than they could carry away. 




JEHOSHAPHAT TELLS HIS SOLDIERS TO TRUST IN THE LORD 

They were three days in gathering the spoil, there was so much of 
it. On the fourth day they met together in a valley near by, 
and blessed and thanked the Lord for giving them the victory. 
Therefore that valley was called the valley of Berachah, which 
means, the valley of Blessing. Then Jehoshaphat and all the 
men of Judah returned with the music of harps and trumpets 
to Jerusalem, and to the temple. 

After this the heathen nations feared to come out against 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 387 

him, and God gave him and his people rest from war. Yet 
Jehoshaphat did wrong again, in joining with the king of Israel 
to send ships to a land called Ophir, that they might bring back 
gold for him. And a prophet came and told him that because 
he had joined with that wicked king, his ships should be broken. 
And what the prophet said came true, for his ships were broken 
and wrecked at Ezion-geber, where they were built, so that they 
could not go to that far-off land. 

Jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years, and did what was right 
and pleased the Lord ; then he died and was buried in Jerusalem. 



2 KINGS IX-XIV (9-14). 2 CHRONICLES XXI-XXV (21-25) 

JEHORAM SLAYS HIS BRETHREN. THE EDOMITES REBEL AGAINST HIM. THE 
REIGNS OF AHAZIAH, ATHALIAH, JO ASH, AND AMAZIAH. 

Jehoshaphat left seven sons. To six of them he gave 
presents of silver and gold, and other precious things; he made 
them rulers also over some of the cities of Judah ; but Jehoram, 
his eldest son, he made king. 

Jehoram was not like his father, he did not serve God. He 
cared only to get the kingdom, and to keep it for himself. Be- 
cause he feared that his brethren might take it from him, he 
killed them. He killed also some of the princes of the land, 
who, he thought, were not his friends. 

Now the Edomites had been servants to the kings of Judah 
for many years before this time, but while Jehoram was king, 
they rebelled against him and chose a king of their own. Then 
Jehoram went out with all his war chariots, and fought against 
them in the night, but he could not overcome them and make 
them his servants again. For the Lord did not help him, be- 
cause he had turned away from serving the Lord. 

Jehoram did very wickedly. He built high places in the 
mountains, for the people to worship idols there, and he 
made the people of Judah to sin, as the kings of Israel made 
their people. For Jehoram had for his wife the daughter 
of Ahab, the wicked king of Israel. And there came a letter 
to him from Elijah, the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord, 



$88 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Because thou hast not obeyed me, as Jehoshaphat thy father 
did, but hast done wickedly, and made the people do wickedly, 
and hast slain thy brethren who were better than thou art; 
therefore I will send trouble on thy people, thy wives, and thy 
children, and a great sickness shall come upon thee. 

And the Lord sent the Philistines, and the Arabians against 
Jehoram. They came up to Jerusalem and went into his house 
and took away his riches. They carried away his wives also, 
and his sons, as captives, so that he had not one son left, save 
Ahaziah, the youngest. After all this the Lord sent a dreadful 
disease upon him, as Elijah had said. He was sick two years, 
and grew worse and worse, for he could not be cured. Jehoram 
reigned eight years, and he died, but the people did not mourn 
for him. They buried him in Jerusalem, but not in the sepul- 
chre where the kings of Judah were buried. Then they made 
Ahaziah, his son, king in his place. 

Ahaziah reigned only one year; like his father, he did wick- 
edly; for his mother, who was the daughter of Ahab, taught him 
to sin. He went down to visit Jehoram, king of Israel, at Jezreel. 
While he was there, he rode out with Jehoram to meet Jehu, each 
in his chariot. We have read how Jehu drew a bow with, all his 
might, and shot an arrow at Jehoram that went into his heart, and 
Jehoram fell down dead. Then Ahaziah turned his horses to flee, 
but Jehu followed him, saying to his servants, Kill him also in the 
chariot ; and they killed him. Afterward the servants of Ahaziah 
brought his dead body in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him 
there, in the sepulchre of the kings. 

When his mother, whose name was Athaliah, saw that he was 
dead, she took Ahaziah's sons (who were her own grandchildren) 
and slew them, to make herself queen. But one of his sons, a 
little boy named Joash, was stolen away from her, and hidden 
with his nurse in the temple. He was hidden there six years, 
for Jehoiada, the high priest, watched over him, and Athaliah, 
the queen, knew nothing of it. But when the six years were 
ended, Jehoiada showed him to the Levites and told them that 
he ought to be king. And the priests and Levites talked in 
secret together, and agreed to make Joash king. 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



389 



Now there were at the temple some spears and shields that 
had belonged to king David; these the priests gave to the 
Levites. And on the day that the high priest appointed, the 
Levites came to the temple, and kept guard all around it with 
their spears in their hands, that no one might go in. And they 
brought Joash, who was but seven years old, out of the chamber 




THE CROWNING OF JOASH 

where he was hidden, and, pouring oil on his head, they anointed 
him; and they put the crown upon his head, and made him 
king over Judah; then they clapped their hands, and cried, 
God save the king! 

When the queen heard the noise of the people running, and 
shouting, she came to the temple and looked in, and saw the 
king, standing by a pillar, with the crown on his head. The 
princes of the land stood by him, and all the people rejoiced, 
and blew on trumpets, and the singers in the temple sang to 



390 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

instruments of music. Then the queen was angry; she rent her 
clothes, and cried out, Here is rebellion! Here is rebellion! 
But the high priest said to the Levites, Take her out from the 
temple, for she must not be slain in the house of the Lord. So 
they took hold of her and brought her put, near to the king's 
palace, and slew her there. 

Afterward the high priest made a covenant with king Joash, 
and with all the people, and they promised to serve the Lord. 
For the queen had served Baal, and kept a house with images 
of the idol in it, but the temple of the Lord she had allowed to 
go to decay. She had allowed her sons also to break into the 
temple, and carry away the sacred vessels of gold and silver, 
and put them into the house of Baal. But when the queen was 
dead all the people went to Baal's house, and tore it down, and 
broke the altars and images, and killed the priests of Baal. 
Then Jehoiada, the high priest, sent the priests of the Lord and 
the Levites to the temple, to attend to the worship of God there; 
he set porters also to watch the gates, so that no one who was 
forbidden might enter. 

When Joash grew older and saw how the temple was broken 
and decayed, he called the priests and Levites to him, saying, 
Go out through all the cities of Judah, and gather money from 
the people, to mend and repair the house of the Lord. And see 
that you make haste in doing it. But the Levites did not make 
haste. Then the king sent for Jehoiada, the high priest, and 
said to him, Why do not the Levites bring the money to repair 
the house of the Lord ? 

So Jehoiada took a chest and bored a hole in the lid of it, 

and set it before the door of the tem- 
ple. And word was sent through all 
the land that every man should bring 
a piece of silver money, called a half 
shekel, as an offering to the Lord. 
Then all the princes and the people 
upper side. Lower side. brought fa e money willingly, and cast 

it into the chest. As soon as enough had been cast in, the high 
priest and the king's officer came, and emptied it out and counted 



HALF SHEKEL 





THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 391 

it, and put it in bags and gave it to the men who were set over 
the carpenters, the masons, and the builders that were mending 
the house. 

After the work was done, and the house was finished, these 
men brought the money that was left and gave it to the king 
and Jehoiada; and they had spoons and vessels of gold and 
silver made of it, to take the place of those which had been 
carried away by the sons of queen Athaliah. And Jehoiada, 
the high priest, caused sacrifices to be offered up at the temple 
every day. He persuaded the king also to obey the Lord; for 
though Joash had taken pains to repair the temple, he did not 
love God in his heart. Yet as long as Jehoiada lived he did 
what was right. But Jehoiada, when he was a hundred and 
thirty years old, died. And they buried him in Jerusalem in 
the same sepulchre where the kings were buried, because he 
had done good in Judah, obeying the Lord himself and teach- 
ing the people to obey him. 

Now the princes of Judah were wicked men ; for although they 
had worshipped at the temple while Jehoiada was alive, it was 
only because Jehoiada had persuaded the king to worship there, 
and they went to the temple with him. As soon as Jehoiada 
was dead they came to the king, and said that they wanted to 
worship at the temple no more. And the king, whose own 
heart was wicked, gave them permission to stay away. Then 
they went and worshipped idols. 

And Zechariah, the priest, the son of Jehoiada, when he saw 
the wickedness of the princes and the people, spoke to them, 
saying, Why do you disobey the commandments of the Lord, 
and so bring trouble on the land? for you cannot prosper 
while you disobey him. But king Joash was angry with Zech- 
ariah for saying this, and commanded the people to stone him; 
then they took stones and stoned him to death, even in the court 
of the temple. So Joash forgot how kind Jehoiada, Zechariah's 
father, had been to him in making him king, and he slew Zech- 
ariah, Jehoiada's son. Zechariah, as he was dying, said to the 
people, The Lord will see what you have done, and will punish 
you for it. 



392 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



And what Zechariah said came true, for at the end of the year 
the Syrians made war against Judah. They came into Jeru- 
salem, and slew the princes, and took away their silver and gold, 
and sent it to the king of Syria at Damascus. For the king of 
Syria had not come up himself against Jerusalem, nor sent a 
great army there. He had sent only a small company of men; 



KHBEBMB ' 




KING JOASH TELLS THE PEOPLE TO STONE ZECHARIAH 

and the Lord gave them the victory over a great multitude of 
the men of Judah, because the men of Judah had ceased to 
obey him. So the Lord punished king Joash, and the people, 
for their sins. A great sickness came upon Joash also, and, 
after the Syrians were gone, his own servants rebelled against 
him, and slew him while he lay in his bed. And they buried 
him in Jerusalem, but not in the sepulchre of the kings. He 
had reigned forty years. And Amaziah, his son, was made 
king over the land. 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 393 

Amaziah, after he was made king, gathered together a great 
army out of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, three hundred 
thousand men, who could fight with spear and shield. He hired 
also a hundred thousand more brave and strong soldiers from 
the kingdom of Israel, and paid them a hundred talents of silver, 
to go with the men of Judah and Benjamin against the Edomites. 
But there came a prophet to him, saying, O king, let not the 
men of Israel go with thee to the battle, for the Lord is not 
with them to help them. And if they go, he will not aid thee ; 
for God has power to help thee against thy enemies, or to give 
them the victory over thee. Amaziah said to the prophet, But 
what shall I do for the hundred talents of silver, which I have 
paid to the men of Israel? The prophet answered, The Lord 
is able to give thee back much more than this, if thou wilt 
trust in him. Then Amaziah obeyed the command of the Lord, 
and sent the men of Israel to their own homes. And they left 
in great anger, because they could not go out to war with the 
men of Judah and Benjamin. 

Amaziah went with his army against the Edomites, and the 
Lord gave him the victory over them. But when he came from 
the battle he brought with him the idols of the men of Edom, 
and set them up to be his gods. Therefore the Lord was dis- 
pleased with Amaziah, and sent a prophet to speak with him, 
saying, Why dost thou worship the idols of Edom that could not 
help the Edomites themselves, when thou didst go up to fight 
against them? But Amaziah was angry with the prophet, and 
said to him, Art thou the one to tell me what I should do ? Be 
silent, lest I punish thee. Then the prophet spoke to him about 
the idols no more ; yet he said to Amaziah, I know that God has 
determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this wicked 
thing, and wilt not cease, although he has sent thee word. 

After this Amaziah sent messengers to the king of Israel, 
saying, Come, let us look one another in the face : he meant that 
they should come out with their armies and fight with each other. 
But the king* of Israel answered him, and said, Because thou hast 
gained the victory over the Edomites, therefore thou art proud 
and ready to boast. But stay now at home; why shouldst thou 



394 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

meddle with me, and so bring trouble on thyself, and on all the 
people of Judah with thee? But Amaziah would not listen to 
the king of Israel, because the Lord meant to punish him, and 
the people of Judah, for worshipping the idols of Edom. 

So Amaziah went out with the army of Judah, and the king of 
Israel came out against him ; then the men of Judah were afraid 
and fled. And the king of Israel took Amaziah captive, and 
brought him back to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of 
the city. He went into the temple and took the vessels of gold 
and silver that were there, and the treasures that were in the 
king's palace, and carried away some of the people, as captives, 
to his Qwn city of Samaria. After this the people of Jerusalem 
rebelled against Amaziah, and when he tried to escape from them 
they followed him and killed him. Then they brought his dead 
body upon horses to Jerusalem, and buried him there. He had 
been king over Judah for twenty-nine years. 



2 CHRONICLES XXVI-XXXI (26-31). ISAIAH 

UZZIAH OBEYS GOD AND PROSPERS. HIS GREAT ARMY. HE GROWS PROUD 
AND ENTERS THE TEMPLE. THE REIGN OF JOTHAM. ISAIAH IS SENT. 
THE REIGN OF AHAZ AND PART OF HEZEKIAH'S REIGN. 

Now all the people of Judah took Uzziah, Amaziah's son, 
and made him king. He was sixteen years old when he began 
to reign, and at first he did what was right; for he had a good 
and wise counsellor, named Zechariah, whose advice he fol- 
lowed, and as long as he did right the Lord caused him to 
prosper. He built towers by the gates of Jerusalem, and made 
them ready for war. He owned a great many cattle, and had 
wells dug for them out in the fields where they fed, and towers 
built there for his herdsmen to go into and be safe from rob- 
bers. He loved to sow grain and plant vineyards, and he 
had husbandmen to work for him, both on the plains and in 
the mountains. 

He had also a great army of three hundred and seventy thou- 
sand men, and he made for them shields and spears, helmets and 
bows, and slings to throw stones. He built in Jerusalem curious 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



395 



engines, which he put in the towers and on the walls, to shoot 
arrows and stones against his enemies when they should come 
to make war on the city. And God helped hini in fighting 
against the Philistines, so that he took cities from them; the 
Ammonites brought him gifts, and all the nations heard of him, 
for he became very great and strong. 




THRESHING IN THE EAST. OXEN TREADING OUT THE GRAIN 



But when he was strong he grew proud and disobeyed the 
Lord; for he went into the temple, where the priests only were 
allowed to go, and took a censer in his hand to burn incense on the 
golden altar. Then Azariah, the high priest, and eighty other 
priests with him, who were not afraid to reprove the king, went 
into the temple after him, and said to him, It is not right for thee, 
Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but only for the priests, the 
descendants of Aaron, who are commanded to burn incense. Go 
out of the temple, for thou hast sinned, neither will the Lord 



396 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



be pleased with thee for doing this thing. But Uzziah was angry 
with the priests for speaking these words, and while he was angry, 
suddenly the leprosy came on his forehead, and the priests saw 
it there as he stood beside the golden altar. Then they took 
hold of him and thrust him out of the temple; yes, he himself 




''■>%?£'%■■ 



UZZIAH IS STRICKEN WITH LEPROSY AND DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE 



made haste to go, because the Lord had sent this punishment 
upon him. 

And Uzziah, the king, was never cured, but was a leper till his 
death; he lived in a house by himself, because God had said that 
no leper should live with the rest of the people; and Jotham, his 
son, ruled for him, over the land. Uzziah was king for fifty-two 
years, and he died, and they buried him in Jerusalem; and then 
Jotham was made king. 

Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and 
he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He built cities in the 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 397 

mountains of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and tow- 
ers. He went out to war against the Ammonites, and made 
them his servants. They gave him each year a hundred tal- 
ents of silver, ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand 
measures of barley. And he became very great, because in all 
that he did he tried to please the Lord. 

But though he served the Lord, the people did wickedly; and 
God sent Isaiah the prophet to speak to them. Isaiah came and 
told them that even the dumb ox remembered his master, who 
was kind to him and fed him, but the children of Israel did not 
remember the Lord, who gave them every good thing that they 
had. For the land was full of idols, and the people worshipped 
them, though they had made them out of pieces of wood with 
their own hands. The Lord asked them why they offered up 
sacrifices to him at the temple, when they went away afterward 
to worship idols, and disobey all his commandments ? He did 
not care for their sacrifices any more, he said, and when they 
should pray to him, he would not hear them. If they would 
cease to do evil and learn to do good, then, the Lord said, he 
would forgive them and bless them. 

But they would not do this, for their priests, their princes, 
and all the men of Judah did wickedly. Because of their sins, 
Isaiah told them, the Lord was very angry with them, and he 
would call their enemies from far-off countries to punish them. 
These enemies would come swiftly with sharp spears and 
arrows; they would be fierce as lions, and no man could save 
the people out of their hands. For the people of Judah should 
be carried away captive, their land would be left lonely and 
desolate, briars and thorns should grow over it, the cities should 
have no one living in them, and Jerusalem and the temple 
would be destroyed. But after many years, Isaiah said, they 
should be rebuilt, for the Lord would raise up a great king, 
named Cyrus, who would command that the city and the temple 
should be built again. 

Isaiah lived more than seven hundred years before our Saviour 
came on the earth, yet he prophesied about him as descended 
from king David, and born as a little child; he told also how 



39 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

he would grow up to have sorrow and suffering, and after- 
ward be put to death for the people's sins. And Isaiah spoke 
of John the Baptist as the one who would come before the 
Saviour, and preach to the people out in the wilderness, tell- 
ing them to make ready for the Saviour's coming by repenting 

of their sins. . 

But the people of Judah would not listen to the preaching 
of Isaiah, and God took away their good king from them, for 
Jotbam died. And Ahaz, his son, was made king. 

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign. He 
did not serve God as his father had done, but served idols and 
offered up sacrifices to them on the high places and the hills, and 
under the shade of trees; and made his sons pass through the fire 
before them as the heathen nations did. And the Lord sent 
the kings of Syria and Israel against him. They came up to 
Jerusalem and besieged the city. The king of Syria took many 
of the people captive, and carried them away to his own city of 
Damascus; and the king of Israel killed a hundred and twenty 
thousand of the men of Judah in one day. He took away also 
great numbers of the women and children, and brought them to 
the city of Samaria where he lived. 

And not only the kings of Syria and Israel made war against 
Ahaz, but the Edomites and the Philistines came up and fought 
against him. Then Ahaz took some of the silver and gold out 
of the temple, and some of the treasures out of his own palace, 
and sent them to Tiglath-pilezer, king of Assyria, and asked 
that king to help him against his enemies. And Tiglath-pilezer 
took the present of gold and silver and did as Ahaz asked him, 
for he fought against the Syrians, and took the city of Damascus 
from them; but it did Ahaz little good, because the Lord was 
against him on account of his sins. 

And Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pilezer. While 
he was there he saw an idol's altar that greatly pleased him. 
And he sent the pattern of it to the high priest in Jerusalem, 
commanding him to make one like it. The high priest did so 
and put the altar he had made in the court of the temple. 
When Ahaz returned to Jerusalem he went to it and offered 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



399 



sacrifices on it: he even took away the altar of the Lord from 
its place in the court, to make room for the idol's altar. 

After this Ahaz did still more wickedly. For he took to 
pieces the lavers which Solomon had made, to stand arid hold 
water in the court of the temple; he took down the great sea 
of brass, from the backs of the twelve oxen on which it rested, 
and set it on the pavement of the court. He also carried out 




THE KINGS OF SYRIA AND ISRAEL TAKE JERUSALEM 



from the temple the sacred vessels of gold and silver and cut 
them in pieces. Then he shut up the doors of the temple, so 
that no one could go there to worship; but in every corner of 
Jerusalem he set up his idols, and in every city of the land he 
made high places on which to burn sacrifices to them. And 
the Lord was very angry with Ahaz and the people of Judah 
for their wickedness. 

Ahaz was king for sixteen years, and he died, and was buried 



4 oo THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

in Jerusalem, but they did not bury him in the sepulchre of the 
kings. And Hezekiah, his son, was made king in his place. 

Hezekiah did what was right and served the Lord. As soon 
as he was made king he opened the doors of the temple, which 
his father Ahaz had shut up, and he called the priests and Le- 
vites who had been sent away from the temple, to come and 
cleanse it and put it in order, so that God might be worshipped 
there again. For he said, Our fathers have done wrong; they 
have shut up the doors of the temple, and have put out the lamps, 
and not burned incense, nor offered burnt offerings. And the 
Lord has been angry with us and sent us trouble, and shame, 
as you have seen; our men have been killed by our enemies, and 
our sons and daughters have been led away captive on account 
of these things. 

And now, Hezekiah said, I want to make a promise and a 
covenant with the Lord, to obey him, so that he may not be 
angry with us any more. Therefore, ye priests and Levites, be 
diligent and make haste to cleanse, and open the house of the 
Lord ; for you are the ones whom he has chosen to go into his 
house, and attend to his worship. Then the priests, when they 
heard what the king said, went into the inner part of the temple, 
and brought out all the uncleanness that they found there, and 
the Levites took it and emptied it into the brook Kidron. They 
began this work on the first day of the month, and on the six- 
teenth day they came to the king, saying, We have cleansed all 
the house of the Lord, and the altar that is in the court, and the 
table on which is set the shewbread ; and the vessels of gold and 
silver, which Ahaz took away, we have put there again, and all 

things are ready. 

Then king Hezekiah rose early in the morning and called the 
rulers of the city, and they went up together to the temple. 
They took with them seven bullocks and seven rams, seven lambs 
and seven goats ; and Hezekiah commanded the priests to offer 
these up on the altar as a sacrifice for all the people's sins. And 
Hezekiah set the priests and the Levites in the temple, to play 
on instruments and sing praises to the Lord. When the offering 
began to burn on the altar, the songs of praises began, with music 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 401 

from the cymbals, the harps, and the trumpets that the priests 
and Levites held in their hands. And all the people worshipped 
and the singers sang and the trumpets sounded, until the burnt 
offering was finished. 

After the offerings which the king and the rulers had brought 
were offered up, Hezekiah invited the people to bring their offer- 
ings; and they brought seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and 
two hundred lambs. The priests offered up these also. And 
the king rejoiced, and the people with him, because the Lord had 
made them willing to bring their offerings to him, and because 
the Lord's worship was begun at the temple once more. 

And Hezekiah wrote letters to all the people in Judah, and to 
the people of the ten tribes of Israel also, asking them to come 
to Jerusalem and keep the feast of the passover; for it had been 
many years since the people kept that feast as the Lord com- 
manded them to keep it. And the messengers whom the king 
sent, went out among the people, carrying the king's letter, which 
said, Ye children of Israel, who have been disobeying the Lord, 
turn now and obey him; then he will turn to you and bless you. 
Be not like your fathers and your brothers, who have gone on 
sinning against him, and been carried away captive for their 
sins, but obey his commandments, and come to his temple and 
serve him, that he may take away his anger from you. If you 
will do this, he will remember those who have been taken cap- 
tive, and will make their enemies kind to them, so that they will 
allow them to come back to their own land. 

So the messengers with the king's letters went out through all 
the land. But when they came into the land of Israel, the men 
of the ten tribes would not listen to them; they mocked them 
and laughed them to scorn. Yet not all the men of Israel did 
this, for some of them confessed their sins and were sorry for 
them, and came to Jerusalem. But in the land of Judah, the 
Lord made all the people willing to come. So there came to 
Jerusalem a very great company of people to keep the feast. 
But before they began to keep it, they went out through the 
city and took away all the idols' altars that were still left there, 

and cast them into the brook Kidron. 
26 



4 o2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Then they made ready to keep the feast of the passover; each 
man took a lamb, and brought it to the temple; there it was 
killed before the altar. Afterward the man took it to his own 
house, and it was roasted with fire, and he and his family ate 
of it in the night, as the children of Israel did on the night 
that they came out of Egypt. For the Lord wanted the people 
to remember that night, how he had saved them from Pharaoh 
and the cruel Egyptians; therefore he commanded them to 
keep this feast every year. But they had neglected to do so, 
and now Hezekiah called them to Jerusalem to keep it again, 
so that they might obey the Lord, and he might be pleased 
with them and bless them. 

We have read that when the children of Israel kept the pass- 
over the first time in Egypt, they were commanded to eat only 
one kind of bread, called unleavened bread; and for seven days 
afterward they were allowed to eat no other bread but this. So 
now, and for seven days after they had eaten the lamb, they ate 
unleavened bread. And they kept the feast through all those 
seven days with gladness. The priests and the Levites sang 
praises every day, playing on harps and trumpets. And the 
Levites went out among the people and taught them the law of 
the Lord, that they might know his law, and take care to obey 
it. King Hezekiah spoke kindly to the Levites who were 
doing this work, and encouraged them to go on in it. 

Through the seven days of the passover the people feasted 
on the flesh of the peace offerings which they had brought to 
the temple, and they confessed their sins to the Lord. And 
after they had kept these seven days, they all agreed to stay 
seven days more, praising God. And king Hezekiah and the 
princes gave them great numbers of cattle for sacrifices, two 
thousand bullocks and seventeen thousand sheep. All the peo- 
ple of Judah, with the priests and Levites, and the men of 
Israel also, who had come to keep the feast with them, rejoiced; 
for since the time when Solomon lived no such feast had been 
kept in Jerusalem. 

When the feast was over, the people went out to the different 
cities of the land and broke in pieces all the idols that they 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



403 



found there, and destroyed the high places and the altars that 
had been made to worship idols on. They did this both in the 
land of Judah and in the land of Israel. Afterward they 
returned every man to his own home. 

And Hezekiah sent the different courses, or companies, of 
the priests and Levites to the temple, as king David had ap- 
pointed them, to take turns in attending to the worship of the 




LEVITES READING THE LAW TO THE PEOPLE 

Lord ; and he gave them sacrifices to be offered up every day, 
in the morning and evening, and on the sabbath, and feast 
days. The king told the people, also, to bring a tenth part of 
all that grew in their fields to the priests and Levites for food, 
as Moses had commanded; for the people had long neglected 
to do this. But now they obeyed the king and brought these 
things to the temple. Not only the people of Judah did so, 
but many who lived in the land of Israel. In the third month 



4 o4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

they began to bring them, and they kept on bringing until the 
seventh month. 

When the king and the princes came to the temple, and saw 
the great heaps of food that had been brought, they thanked 
the Lord who had made the people willing to bring so much. 
Then Hezekiah asked the priests and the Levites how it hap- 
pened that there was so much, Azariah, the chief priest, 
answered him, saying, Ever since the people began to bring 
their offerings, the priests and Levites have had enough to eat, 
and not only enough, but plenty to spare; for after eating all 
they wanted, these heaps are left. For the Lord has not only 
made the people willing to bring offerings, but he has blessed 
their fruit and their grain out in the field, making them grow 
well, so that the people have had large offerings to bring. 

Then Hezekiah commanded that some chambers, or store- 
rooms, should be made ready, near the temple, where the heaps 
of food could be brought and kept safe. And they made the 
chambers ready and brought the food into them. And Heze- 
kiah appointed some of the Levites to take care of it, and to 
give to all the priests and Levites as much as they needed for 
themselves and their families to eat: not only to those whose 
turn it was to stay in the temple, but to those also who were 
resting at home, or teaching the laws of God to the people in 
different parts of the land. 



2 KINGS XVIII-XXI (18-21). 2 CHRON. XXXII, XXXIII 
(32, 33). ISAIAH XXXVII-XXXIX (37-39). MICAH 

THE KING OF ASSYRIA COMES INTO THE LAND OF ISRAEL. AN ANGEL DESTROYS 
HIS ARMY. THE WICKEDNESS OF THE PEOPLE. MICAH, THE PROPHET, 
IS SENT. REIGN OF MANASSEH AND AMMON. 

After these things, the king of Assyria came into Judah 
with his army, and took some of the cities of the land. When 
Hezekiah heard of it he built up the walls of Jerusalem, where 
they had been broken down, and made shields and darts in 
abundance. And he gathered the men of Judah together, and 
set captains over them and spoke to them, saying, Be strong 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 405 

and brave, fear not the king of Assyria nor the multitude that is 
with him, for there are more on our side than on his. He has 
men to fight for him, but we have God to fight for us. Never- 
theless, Hezekiah, because he was afraid of the king of Assyria, 
sent him a great deal of gold and silver, so that he should not 
fight any more against Judah. Then the king of Assyria took 
the gold and silver, and returned to his own land. But after- 
ward, he wickedly came back with his army into the land of 
Judah, and made war against it. 

And he stopped at a city called Lachish, to besiege it, but 
he sent his servants on before him to Jerusalem, to tell the people 
he was coming there also. And his servants came and said 
to the people, Thus saith the king of Assyria, Do not listen to 
Hezekiah when he tells you that he is able to fight against me, 
and that the Lord will save you out of my hand. Listen not 
to his words, but make an agreement with me; pay me now 
tribute money of gold and silver, and come out and be my ser- 
vants. Then I will do you no harm, but will let you alone until 
I return to take you to another land. Then the servants of the 
king of Assyria cried with loud voices to the people who were 
on the walls of Jerusalem, to frighten them and make them will- 
ing to give up the city. And they spoke against God, as though 
he were like the idols that the heathen nations worshipped. 

When Hezekiah heard what they said, he rent his clothes 
and put on sackcloth, and went up to the temple to pray to the 
Lord. And he sent priests and elders to Isaiah, the prophet, 
telling him of the message of the king of Assyria, and asking 
him to pray for the people. And the priests and elders came 
and told Isaiah. Then Isaiah sent word to king Hezekiah, 
saying, Thus saith the Lord : Be not afraid of the words which 
the king of Assyria has spoken against me; for I will send a 
great punishment upon him, and he shall turn and go back to 
his own land, and there I will cause him to be put to death 
with the sword. 

So Hezekiah would not obey the command of the king of 
Assyria to give up the city. And the king's servants went back 
to their master, and told him what Hezekiah said. Then 



4 o6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

the king sent his servants again to Hezekiah, with a letter, 
saying, Do not let thy God make thee believe that I cannot 
take Jerusalem. Thou hast heard how the kings of Assyria 
have destroyed other nations ; their gods were not able to save 
them, and can thy God save thee? 

When Hezekiah read the letter which the king of Assyria had 
sent, he was in great trouble, and he took it and went up to the 
temple, and there spread it open before the Lord. And Heze- 
kiah prayed and said, O Lord, thou art the only God over all 
the kingdoms of the earth ; for it was thou who didst make the 
heaven and the earth. Lord, open thine eyes and see, and 
turn thine ears and hear the words which the king of Assyria 
has spoken against thee. It is true that he has destroyed the 
other nations, and cast their gods into the fire, for those gods 
were only dumb idols, made out of wood and stone; therefore 
he was able to destroy them. But now, O Lord, he is seeking 
to destroy Jerusalem. Save us, I pray thee, out of his hands, 
so that all the kingdoms may know that thou art not like the 
idols of the heathen nations, but that thou art the Lord, and 
that there is no other God beside thee. 

And the Lord heard Hezekiah's prayer, and commanded 
Isaiah, the prophet, to send a messenger to him, saying, Thus 
saith the Lord, I have heard the words which thou hast prayed 
to me against the king of Assyria, and I will do to him as thou 
hast asked. He shall not come before the city with shields and 
spears, nor build forts around it, neither shall he shoot an arrow 
into it. By the way that he came he shall return again, for I 
will save Jerusalem out of his hands. And what Isaiah said 
came true, for that night the Lord sent his destroying angel into 
the camp of the Assyrians, and the angel slew a hundred and 
eighty-five thousand of them. Then the king of Assyria went 
back with shame to his own land. There, while he was worship- 
ping in the house of his idol, two of his own sons put him to 
death. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Judah 
from the king of Assyria, and from all their other enemies. 

In those days king Hezekiah was sick, and the prophet Isaiah 
went to him, and said, The Lord hath sent thee word to make all 




KING HEZEKIAH, CLOTHED IN SACKCLOTH, SPREADS OPEN THE LETTER BEFORE THE LORD 

407 



4o8 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



things ready, for thou shalt die and not live. After the prophet 
had spoken these words, he came out from Hezekiah's cham- 
ber. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed, 
saying, O Lord, remember, now, how I have served thee with 
all my heart, and have done those things that pleased thee. 
And Hezekiah wept greatly. And the Lord commanded Isaiah 
to go back to Hezekiah, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have 





THE DESTROYING ANGEL SLAYS THE ASSYRIANS 

heard thy prayer, and seen thy tears; behold, I will make thee 
well; in three days thou shalt go up to the temple, and I will 
add to thy life fifteen years. So Isaiah went back and spoke 
these words to the king. And he said to the king's servants, 
Take a lump of figs and lay it upon the boil. And they took 
the figs, and laid them upon the boil of which the king was sick, 
and he grew well again. 

And king Hezekiah had great riches and honor. He mack" 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



409 



for himself treasuries, or strong chambers, in which to keep his 
gold and silver, his jewels and precious stones. He built store- 
houses also for his corn, and wine, and oil ; and made stalls for 
his horses and cattle, and cotes, or pens, for his flocks of sheep; 
for he had great numbers of all these things. And the Lord 
helped him, so that he prospered in all that he did. 




m 



ANCIENT SHEEP PEN 



Yet Hezekiah did not keep humble and thankful to God for 
his blessings ; he grew proud of his riches and power. And the 
king of Babylon heard of his greatness, and sent messengers with 
letters and a present for him. When the messengers came to 
Jerusalem, Hezekiah received them gladly, and in his pride, 
showed them his silver and gold, his horses and armor, and all 
the great things of his kingdom. 

Then Isaiah, the prophet, came to Hezekiah, and said, What 
did these men say ? And from whence did they come ? Hezekiah 



4io 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



answered, They came from a far country, from Babylon.- And 
Isaiah said, What have they seen in thy house? Hezekiah an- 
swered, All that is in my house they have seen; there is nothing 
among my treasures that I have not shown them. Then Isaiah 




HEZEKIAH SHOWING HIS TREASURES 



said, Hear what the Lord says to thee, The day is coming when 
all the riches that are in thy house, which thou and thy fathers 
have laid up, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be 
left. And some of thy own descendants also shall they take 
away and make them servants in the palace of the king of 
Babylon. Hezekiah answered, All that the Lord will do is 
right; yet it is good in him not to send these troubles while I 
live, but to send peace and truth in my days. 

We have read how Hezekiah persuaded the people to put 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 411 

away their idols and serve the Lord, but they did this only for 
a time; then they went back to serving idols again. And God 
sent the prophet Micah to speak to them. Micah came and 
said that God asked what he had done to make them weary of 
serving him? He had brought them up out of Egypt, from 
being servants to Pharaoh, and had sent Moses and Aaron 
to guide them through the wilderness. And afterward, when 
the king of Moab sent for Balaam to curse them, he made 
Balaam bless them instead. What did the Lord ask of the 
children of Israel, except to do justly, to be kind and merciful 
to each other, and humble and obedient to the Lord? 

But they would not do this, Micah said. Their rich men were 
cruel to those who were poor; their judges, who should punish 
the wicked, were wicked themselves. Scarcely any good men 
were left in the land; all were ready to rob and to kill, so that 
friends could not trust one another; and even brothers and 
sisters, and fathers and mothers, had come to be enemies, and 
to hate one another. On account of these things, Micah told 
them, the Lord would send a great punishment upon them. 
The people should be carried away to Babylon, and Jerusalem, 
their beautiful city, should be destroyed. Instead of houses in it 
there would be only heaps of stone. The temple also should 
be thrown down and taken away, until nothing was left of it, 
and the place where it stood should be ploughed over like a 
field where the farmer sows his grain. 

Micah, like Isaiah, prophesied of the Saviour, telling where 
he should be born, that it would be in the city of Bethlehem. 
And not only Micah and Isaiah, but almost all the prophets 
that God sent, spoke or taught about him, so that the children 
of Israel might know the Saviour was coming; and so that we, 
who are living now, after he has come, may know that he is the 
Son of God, and that it was God who sent him. 

Hezekiah was king over Judah twenty-nine years, and he 
died, and they buried him in Jerusalem, in the best of the 
sepulchres of the kings; and Manasseh his son was made 
king in his place. 

Manasseh was twelve years old when he was made king, and 



412 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



he did wickedly. The Bible tells us that he worshipped all the 
host of heaven, that is, the sun, the moon, and the stars. He 
built up again the high places, which his father Hezekiah had 
destroyed, and made idols' altars in the courts around the temple, 
and even set up an idol in the temple itself. He made his 
children pass through the fire before his idols, and he talked 
with familiar spirits, which the Lord had commanded the 




MANASSEH LED AWAY CAPTIVE 



children of Israel not to do. He put to death also many inno- 
cent persons in Jerusalem, who had done no wrong; so that he 
did more wickedly, and caused the people to do more wickedly, 
than the heathen nations used to do, that lived in Canaan before- 
the children of Israel came there. 

And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and to the people, by his 
prophets, about their sins, but they would not hear. Therefore 
the Lord brought against them the captains of the army of the 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 413 

king of Assyria, who came and took Manasseh, as he was hiding 
from them among some bushes and thorns ; and they bound him 
with chains, and carried him to Babylon. When he was there, 
far away from home, and in affliction, he remembered his sins, 
and repented of them. He prayed with all his heart to the Lord ; 
and the Lord heard him, and was kind to him and brought him 
back to Jerusalem. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord 
was the only true God, and he took away the idol which he 
had set up in the temple, and all the altars that he had built 
in the courts around the temple, and cast them out of the city; 
he also repaired the altar of the Lord, and offered up sacrifices 
upon it. 

Manasseh was king over Judah for fifty-five years, and he 
died, and they buried him in the garden of his palace in Jeru- 
salem, and Ammon, his son, was made king. 

Ammon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, 
and he did evil; for he offered up sacrifices to all the carved 
images that his father, Manasseh, had made; yet he did not 
afterward repent and put them away, as his father had done, 
but he went on sinning more and more. After he had been king 
for two years, his servants rebelled against him and killed him, 
and the people of the land chose Josiah, his son, for their king. 



2 KINGS XXII-XXV (22-25). 2 CHRON. XXXIV-XXXVI 
(34-36). JER. II-XI, XVIII, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX 
* (2-11, 18, 36, 38, 39) 

THE REIGNS OF JOSIAH, JEHOAHAZ, JEHOIAKIM, JEHOIACHIN, AND ZEDEKIAH, 
AND THE END OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH. 

Josiah was eight years old when he was made king. He 
reigned thirty-one years, and did what was right; for while 
he was yet a boy he began to serve the Lord. He went out 
through all the land of Judah, and also among the people who 
were living in the land of Israel (for the ten tribes had been 
carried away captive before this time), and he made his servants 
destroy the altars of Baal wherever he found them, and tear 



4 i4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

down the images that were set up above the altars, and break 
them in pieces. Then he came back to Jerusalem, and set men 
at work to repair the temple where it had been allowed to go to 
decay; and the people brought money to the temple to pay the 
workmen for doing this. 

And Josiah sent one of his servants, saying, Go up to the high 
priest, and tell him to count the money which the people have 
brought and let it be given to the carpenters, the builders, and 
the masons, who were at work repairing the temple. And the 
servant went and told the high priest, who did with the money as 
the king commanded. Then the high priest said to the servant, 
I have found in the temple the book of the law. 

In the olden times men did not know how to print books as we 
do now. Instead of printing, they wrote with pen and ink, on 
long rolls of paper, or parchment, and these rolls were called 
books. We have read that Moses, before he died, wrote down in 
a book the laws which God had given him; and he commanded 
that once in seven years those laws should be read out loud to all 
the people. But the wicked kings and people of Judah had not 
cared to hear God's laws, and had neglected the book until it 
was lost and forgotten, and Josiah had never seen it. But now, 
while the temple was being repaired, the high priest found it 
again. And he gave it to the king's servant, who took it to 
Josiah and said, The high priest has given me a book. And he 
read it to the king. 

• When king Josiah heard his servant read the words of God's 
law, and heard him read also of the punishments which God 
said he would send on the people for not obeying that law, 
he rent his clothes and wept. And he spoke to the high priest, 
saying, Go, and ask for me, what the Lord will do to us; for he 
is very angry, because our fathers have not obeyed the com- 
mands that are written in the book. Then the high priest went 
to a woman named Huldah, who was a prophetess, and asked 
her the question. She answered, The Lord says, I will send 
upon Jerusalem and upon the people who live there, all the pun- 
• ishments that are written in the book, because they have turned 
away from serving me, and gone to serve other gods. But as 




JOSIAH HEARING THE BOOK OF THE LAW 



415 



416 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

for king Josiah, who sent you, go and say to him, Thus saith the 
Lord, Because thou wast grieved for the sins of the people, and 
didst humble thyself and weep before me, I will not send those 
punishments in thy days, and thou shalt not see all the evil that 
is coming upon Jerusalem. So the high priest came back and 
told king Josiah what the prophetess said. 

Then Josiah sent and gathered the priests, the Levites, and 
all the people together, and went up to the temple; and he read 
to them the words that were written in the book which the high 
priest had found. The king stood by a pillar, and made a 
covenant with the Lord, and promised to obey his command- 
ments with all his heart and with all his soul. He also caused 
the people to promise that they, too, would obey them. 

The wicked kings of Judah, who lived before Josiah, had 
made spoons, and forks, and vessels to be used in offering up 
sacrifices to Baal, and they had taken these things into the 
temple. They had set up an idol, also, in the court of the 
temple, and appointed men as priests, to burn incense to it, 
and burnt offerings. But now Josiah put down these priests 
and would have them no more; and he sent the priests of the 
Lord to bring out from the temple all the vessels that had been 
used in worshipping Baal, and the image that had been set up 
there; and he took the image and the vessels outside of the 
city and burnt them. And Josiah punished, or sent out of the 
land, all those persons who talked with familiar spirits. He 
sent men also to the valley of Hinnom, where the people used 
to make their children pass through the fire, before the idol 
Molech, and he defiled, or spoiled the valley, so that they should 
not use it in this way any more. 

And Josiah went to Bethel, where Jeroboam, the king of 
Israel, had set up one of the golden calves which he made for the 
people of the ten tribes to worship. We have read how Jeroboam 
was burning incense on an altar to his idol, when a prophet came 
there and told him that a king should be born in Judah, named 
Josiah, who would burn men's bones on that altar, to defile it 
and make it unclean. It had been more than three hundred 
years since the prophet spoke those words. Jeroboam had long 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 417 

since been dead, and the people of the ten tribes had been car- 
ried away captive; yet now the prophet's words came true. For 
Josiah went to Bethel to break down the idol's altar, which was 
still there, and as he turned around, he saw sepulchres in the 
mountain near that place. Then he sent and took men's bones 
out of the sepulchres and burned them on the altar. 

We have read how Hezekiah, while he was king, sent for the 
people to come over to Jerusalem and keep the feast of the pass- 
over, which they had not kept for many years. Yet, after 
Hezekiah died, the people again neglected to keep it. But 
now Josiah called them to Jerusalem to keep that feast. And 
he gave them, out of his own flocks, thirty thousand lambs 
and kids, and three thousand bullocks, that they all might 
have sacrifices to offer. But, although they obeyed the com- 
mand of the king, and came to keep the feast, the people did 
not truly love God nor sincerely worship him, for in their hearts 
they still trusted in their idols. 

And Jeremiah, the prophet, came to them, and said that 
God had brought them up out of Egypt by his mighty power, 
and given them that good land which he had promised to their 
fathers, but they had not thanked him for this, neither had 
they obeyed any of his commandments. God had seen their 
wickedness, Jeremiah told them, and was angry with them. 
Yet if they would turn from their evil ways he would forgive 
them, and keep back the punishments which were coming 
upon them. But the people would not hear what the prophet 
said to them. No man repented of his evil acts. They all went 
on in their wickedness, and sinned more and more. While Jere- 
miah was yet speaking to them, they said one to another, Let 
us kill him. But God saved him out of their hands. 

After these things, the king of Egypt came up with his army 
into the land of Israel, and Josiah went out against him. Then 
the king of Egypt sent word that he had not come to fight with 
Josiah, but was going to make war against the king of Assyria, 
and he told Josiah to let him alone. But Josiah would not turn 
back; he took off his own garments and put on others, that no 

one might know him, and went into the battle. And the archers 

27 



4 i8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of the king of Egypt shot their arrows at him and struck him; 
then he said to his servants, Take me out of the battle, for I am 
sore wounded. And they took him out of his chariot and put 
him into another that was near, where he died ; and they brought 
him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in the sepul- 
chre of the kings. All the people mourned for him; and they 
made Jehoahaz, his son, king over Judah. 

Jehoahaz was twenty-two years old when he was made king, 
and he reigned but three months. He did not do right, as his 
father had done, neither did the people obey God. And Pha- 
raoh, king of Egypt, came up against them; he took Jehoahaz 
and bound him with fetters, and carried him away to Egypt: 
there he kept him until he died. And Pharaoh made Jehoiakim, 
the brother of Jehoahaz, king in his place. But he forced Je- 
hoiakim, and the people of Judah, to pay him a great sum of 
money — a hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. After 
Pharaoh had gone, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up 
against Judah, and Jehoiakim was not able to fight against him, 
so he promised to obey him and be his servant. And Nebu- 
chadnezzar took some of the sacred vessels out of the temple, 
and carried them to Babylon, and put them in the house of his 
idol there. 

In the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king, the Lord spoke 
to the prophet Jeremiah, and commanded him to write down in a 
book all the punishments that were coming on the children of 
Israel. For the Lord said that when the people should hear of 
those punishments, perhaps they would repent, so that he might, 
even yet, forgive them. Then Jeremiah called to him a man 
named Baruch, who was a scribe, or writer; and Baruch wrote 
down the words as Jeremiah spoke them. Afterward Jeremiah 
told him to go and read them to the people. Then Baruch took 
the book up to the temple and read it, where all tne people could 
hear. 

And the princes, who sat in the king's palace, heard of the 
book, and sent for Baruch to come and read it to them. So 
he took the roll in his hand and went to them. And they said to 
him, Sit down now and read it to us. When they heard all the 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



419 




BARUCH WRITING THE BOOK 



things that the Lord had spoken against the children of Israel, 

and of the punishments that he was going to send upon them, 

they were afraid, and said, Tell us now how didst thou write these 

words? Baruch answered, 

Jeremiah spoke them to me 

with his mouth, and I wrote 

them down with ink in the 

book. Then the princes said 

to Baruch, We will tell the 

king. But go and hide, thou 

and Jeremiah, and let no 

man know where you are, 

lest the king be angry with 

you and seek to harm you. 

So they told king Jehoia- 
kim of the book, and he sent 
his servant to bring it. And his servant brought it, and read it 
before the king, and before all the princes who stood beside him. 
Now the king sat by the fire that was burning on the hearth, for it 
was winter. And as soon as his servant had read three or four 
leaves of the book, the king took his penknife and cut them out, 
and threw them into the fire; so he did till all the book was 
burned. Some of the princes who were with him begged him 
not to burn it, but he would not listen to them; neither was he 
troubled, nor afraid when he heard of all the evil that was 
coming upon the people for their sins. Yet he was angry with 
Jeremiah and Baruch for writing the book, and sent his servants 
to take them, but the Lord hid them from him. 

Then the Lord commanded Jeremiah to take another roll and 
write in it all the words that were written in the one which the 
king had burned. And Jeremiah took another roll and gave it 
to Baruch, and repeated to him the words that had been written 
in the first roll, and beside these many more that the Lord spoke 
to him. But the people hated Jeremiah for telling them of their 
sins, and he complained to the Lord, saying, Though I have done 
them no evil, yet every one of them doth curse me. Then the 
Lord promised that when the enemies of Jerusalem should come 



4 2o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

to take the city, they should not harm Jeremiah. Truly, the 
Lord said, I will cause them to treat thee kindly. 

Jehoiakim reigned eleven years, and he died, and Jehoiachin, 
his son, was made king in his place. 

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he was made king, 
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. Then Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king of Babylon, came up against him, as he had come 
up against his father. And Jehoiachin promised to obey him. 
Then Nebuchadnezzar went into the temple, as he did when he 
came up before, and carried out more of the vessels of gold 
which Solomon made, and he cut them in pieces; he came also 
into the king's palace and took away the treasures that were 
there. And he took king Jehoiachin, his mother, his wives, and 
the princes of Judah; also the builders, the smiths, and the car- 
penters, and all the strong and brave soldiers that were in Jeru- 
salem, and carried them to Babylon. 

After they had gone to Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah wrote 
a letter to them, telling them to build houses and plant gardens, 
and be contented in that land, because the Lord said they should 
stay there and serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. But 
when the seventy years were ended, and they should repent of 
their sins and pray to be forgiven, then, Jeremiah said, the Lord 
would bring them back to their own land. 

As for the people who were still left in the land of Judah, 
Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah, the brother of Jehoiakim, king 
over them. But Zedekiah was the servant of the king of Baby- 
lon, and had to promise before the Lord that he would obey 
him. Yet, after Nebuchadnezzar had gone back to Babylon, 
Zedekiah rebelled against him; the priests and the people of 
Judah, also, did wickedly. Then Nebuchadnezzar came up 
again with all the army of the Chaldeans, and made forts 
around Jerusalem, from which they shot darts and arrows at 
the men of Judah, who were on the walls and towers of the 
city; and Jerusalem was besieged, so that no one could go 
out or come in. 

Now Jeremiah, the prophet, was shut up in Jerusalem, with 
the rest of the people. And king Zedekiah, because he. was 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 



421 



afraid of the Chaldeans, sent word to him, asking him to pray 
to God that Jerusalem might be saved. But the Lord com- 
manded Jeremiah to tell the king that the Chaldeans should 




JEREMIAH LET DOWN INTO THE DUNGEON 



certainly take the city and burn it with fire. Yet, Jeremiah 
said, if the people would bear the punishment which the Lord 
was sending upon them, and would go out to the king of Babylon 
and be his servants, without fighting any more against him, they 



422 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

should, not be put to death. Whoever would go out should be 
saved alive, but whoever stayed in the city would be killed by 
the sword, the famine, or the pestilence. For the Lord said 
that Jerusalem should be taken by the king of Babylon, and 
he would burn it with fire, because the Lord would punish the 
people for their sins. 

But some of the princes of Judah came to king Zedekiah, 
and said, We pray thee, let Jeremiah be put to death, for he 
makes the people afraid, because he says the Lord will send 
famine and pestilence upon us, and will give the city to the 
king of Babylon. And the king told the princes they might 
do with Jeremiah as they chose. Then they took him and let 
him down with cords into a deep pit, or dungeon, that was in 
the prison; at the bottom of the dungeon was mire, so Jere- 
miah sank in the mire. 

But one of the officers at the king's palace, when he heard what 
had been done, went to the king, and said, My lord, the king, these 
men have done wickedly in putting Jeremiah into the dungeon, 
for he may die there of hunger. Then the king commanded the 
officer, saying, Take thirty men with thee, and bring Jeremiah 
out of the dungeon, that he die not. So the officer took men, 
and they carried with them some pieces of old clothes and rags, 
and let these down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. And 
the officer called to him, saying, Put now these pieces of clothes 
and rags under thy arms, that the cords may not hurt thee. 
Jeremiah did as the officer said, and they drew him up by the 
cords out of the dungeon. Yet they did not set him free, for he 
was still kept in another part of the prison. 

Then king Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah again, after he had been 
taken up out of the dungeon, and he brought him into the entry 
of the temple, where he might talk with him secretly. And the 
king said to him, I will ask thee a question; do not hide the 
answer from me. Jeremiah answered, If I tell thee, wilt thou 
promise not to put me to death? The king said, As surely as 
the Lord liveth I will not put thee to death, neither will I give 
thee to the men who want to kill thee. 

Then Jeremiah answered, saying, Thus saith the Lord, If thou 




JEREMIAH TELLS THE KING THAT JERUSALEM SHALL BE TAKEN 

4 2 3 



4 2 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

wilt go out to the king of Babylon and be his servant, thou and 
thy family shall be saved alive, and this city shall not be burned. 
The king said, I am afraid if I shall go out to the Chaldeans, 
that they will give me back to the Jews (that is, to the men 
of Judah) who have turned against me, and that they will treat 
me cruelly. Jeremiah answered, The Chaldeans shall not give 
thee back to them. Do not be afraid, but obey, I beseech thee, 
the command of the Lord, so that it may be well with thee, and 
thou shalt be saved alive. But if thou refuse to go out to the 
king of Babylon, thy wives and thy children shall be given to 
the Chaldeans; thou thyself shalt not escape from them, and 
this city also shall be burned with fire. 

But king Zedekiah would not obey the command of the Lord, 
and go out to the king of Babylon. Therefore the Chaldeans 
fought against Jerusalem, and after they had besieged it for 
eighteen months the bread was all gone in the city; there was 
no more left for the people to eat. And in the night Zedekiah 
fled out of the city with his army. But the Chaldeans followed 
after him and caught him, and brought him to the king of Baby- 
lon. Then that cruel king killed Zedekiah's two sons, before 
his eyes; after he had done this he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and 
bound him with chains and carried him to Babylon. There he 
kept him in prison till he died. 

And the captain of Nebuchadnezzar's army burnt the temple 
at Jerusalem, and the palace of the king, and the houses of the 
people, and broke down the walls all around the city. He car- 
ried away to Babylon the two pillars of brass, which Solomon 
had made to stand before the temple, and the sea of brass that 
stood on the backs of twelve oxen in the court of the temple, 
and whatever vessels of gold and silver were still left there. 
The people of Jerusalem who were not slain, he carried away 
captive, except some of the poor of the land, whom he left to 
work in the fields and vineyards. Over these Nebuchadnezzar 
set Gedaliah to be their governor. 

So the kingdom of Judah was ended, as the kingdom of Israel 
had been, on account of the sins of the people. It had lasted 
three hundred and eighty-eight years, ever since Rehoboam was 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 425 

made king over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; nineteen 
kings and one queen had ruled over the people during that time ; 
of these, we are told, that fifteen did wickedly and five served 
the Lord. But even while they had good kings, the people wor- 
shipped idols. And though the Lord waited long, and gave 
them time to repent, and sent his prophets to warn and per- 
suade them, they would not obey him, and cease doing evil. 
Therefore, at last, he sent the people of Judah, as he had before 
sent the people of Israel, out of the land of Canaan. 



JEREMIAH XXXIX-XLIII (39-43) 

THE CHALDEANS TREAT JEREMIAH KINDLY. GEDALIAH IS SLAIN. THE 
JEWS, TAKING JEREMIAH WITH THEM, FLEE INTO EGYPT. 

We have read the promise which the Lord made to Jeremiah, 
that the Chaldeans would treat him kindly when they should 
come to take Jerusalem. And now the Lord made his promise 
come true, for, after the city was taken, the king of Babylon 
commanded the captain of his army, saying, Take Jeremiah 
and be good to him, and do him no harm, but do unto him 
whatever he shall ask of thee. So the captain sent and took 
Jeremiah out of prison, where the men of Judah had left him, 
and he said to him, If it please thee to come with me to Babylon, 
come; and I will take care of thee; but if thou wouldst rather 
stay here, do not come. All the land is before thee to go wher- 
ever it shall please thee to go; or thou canst go and live with 
Gedaliah, whom the king has made governor over the cities 
of Judah. Then the captain gave Jeremiah money and food, 
and let him go; and Jeremiah went and lived with Gedaliah, 
because he wanted to stay with the people that were still left in 
the land. 

Now some of the Jews had fled out into the fields, and away 
to other countries, when the Chaldeans took Jerusalem; therefore 
they were not taken captive with those that went to Babylon. 
And when they heard that Nebuchadnezzar had left some of the 
people still living in the land, and had made Gedaliah governor 
over them, they came back to the land of Judah, to the city of 



426 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Mizpeh, where Gedaliah lived ; for he could not live in Jerusalem 
because it was destroyed. And Gedaliah spoke kindly to the 
Jews who came to him and said to them, Do not be afraid to 
come back and live in your own land. For if you will stay here 
and sow your seed, and gather in your grain, and serve the king 
of Babylon, you shall be happy, and it sriall be well with you. 
So the people came and lived in the land , and gathered in much 
fruit and grain from their fields. 




EASTERN PLOUGHMAN 



Then some men came to Gedaliah and spoke to him, saying, 
Dost thou not know that the king of the Ammonites has sent 
Ishmael, one of the princes of Judah, to slay thee? And one of 
the men who came to tell him this spoke secretly to Gedaliah, 
and said, Let me go therefore and put Ishmael to death, and no 
one shall know of it ; for why should he slay thee and cause all 
the people who are left in the land to be scattered and destroyed ? 
But Gedaliah would not believe what the man said; he an- 
swered him, saying, Thou shalt not put Ishmael to death, for 



THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH 427, 

what thou tellest me about him is not true. Yet what the man 
said was true; for after that, Ishmael came, and ten men with 
him, to Gedaliah's house, pretending that they wanted only to 
eat at his table. But after they had eaten they rose up and slew 
him; and Ishmael fled away into the land of the Ammonites. 
Then all the people were afraid lest the king of Babylon should 
come and punish them, because Gedaliah, whom he had made 
governor over them, was slain. 

And they came to Jeremiah, and said, Pray to the Lord for us 
that he may show us where we shall go and what we shall do. 
Jeremiah answered, I will pray for you as you ask me, and what- 
ever the Lord shall tell me, I will tell you; I will hide nothing 
from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, All that the Lord shall 
command us, we will do; whether it be good or whether it be 
bad for us, we will obey the voice of the Lord, so that he may 
help us and take care of us. 

And Jeremiah prayed to the Lord, and after ten days the 
Lord answered him, and told him what he should say to the 
people. So Jeremiah called them to hear, and he said to them, 
Thus saith the Lord, If you will stay in this land I will bless 
you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, for I am with you 
to save you from harm, and I will make him kind to you, so 
that he shall let you live in your own land. But if you disobey 
me and say, We will not live in this land, but will go into Egypt, 
because there we shall have bread enough to eat, and shall have 
no more war, then, after you have gone, the war and the famine, 
that you fear, shall follow you; there in Egypt you shall die, 
and you shall see your own land no more. 

When the people heard these words, all the proud and wicked 
men among them answered Jeremiah, saying, Thou speakest 
falsely, for the Lord did not tell thee to say that we should not 
go down into Egypt, but thou dost want us to stay here, that 
the Chaldeans may come and put us to death, or carry us away 
captives to Babylon. So they would not obey the command- 
ment of the Lord, but they took all the people, the men, the 
women, and the children, who were left in the land of Judah, 
and Jeremiah also, and brought them down into the land of 



428 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Egypt. Then those words came true that the prophet Isaiah 
had spoken more than a hundred years before, when he said 
that the land of Judah should be left lonely and desolate; that 
briars and thorns should grow over it, and that the houses 
should have no one living in them. 

THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 



CHAPTERS I-VIII (1-8) 

EZEKIEL, IN A VISION, IS COMMANDED TO SPEAK TO THE CAPTIVES BY THE 
RIVER CHEBAR. HE MAKES KNOWN BY SIGNS THE COMING DESTRUC- 
TION OF JERUSALEM. IN A SECOND VISION HE IS CARRIED TO THE 
TEMPLE, AND SHOWN THE IDOLATRY OE THE JEWS. 

We have read that while Jehoiachin was king in Jerusalem, 
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up and besieged 
the city. And Jehoiachin, because he was afraid of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, went out to him and promised to be his servant. Then 
Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin, his mother, his wives, and the 
princes of Judah; the builders also, and carpenters, and all the 
strong and brave soldiers that were in Jerusalem, and .carried 
them away as captives. Yet Nebuchadnezzar did not at that 
time destroy Jerusalem, nor take all the people away; he left 
some of them, and made Zedekiah their king. But he took 
many of the Jews to his own land, and there gave them a place 
where they might live by the river Chebar. The Lord allowed 
Nebuchadnezzar to take them, because he was punishing them 
for their sins. 

Yet even after they had been carried away captive, the Jews 
would not obey the Lord. We have read how Jeremiah, the 
prophet, wrote a letter to them from Jerusalem, telling them to 
serve the king of Babylon, and be contented in the land to 
which he had taken them, because the Lord said they should stay 
there for seventy years. But instead of doing as Jeremiah told 
them, they found fault, and complained, and wanted to go back 
to Jerusalem; for they would not believe that the city was to be 
destroyed, and that the Jews who were still living there were to 



THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 429 

be carried away captive too. The prophets of the Lord had told 
them so, but they chose to believe the false prophets who said 
that these things should not happen. 

Now among the captives by the river Chebar was a priest 
named Ezekiel. And in the fifth year after they were carried 
away, Ezekiel had a vision. He looked, and behold a whirlwind 
came out of the north, and with the whirlwind a cloud ; and out of 
the midst of the cloud came four cherubim. Above the wings of 
the cherubim was a throne, and on the throne Ezekiel saw a form 
like the form of a man, yet not made of flesh ; it seemed to be of 
fire, or as if fire were burning within it: and around it were 
bright colors like a rainbow. This form that Ezekiel saw, sit- 
ting upon a throne, with a rainbow around it, was a likeness of 
the glory of the Lord. And when he; saw it he turned away his 
eyes, and fell on his face to the ground. 

Then the Lord said to him, Stand upon thy feet. And when 
he had risen up, the Lord commanded him to go and speak to 
the Jews who were captives with him by the river Chebar. I 
send thee to them, the Lord said, because they are a disobedient 
people; both they and their fathers have disobeyed me. Yet 
thou shalt tell them my message, whether they will hear or 
whether they will not hear. And be not thou afraid of them, 
though they be fierce as serpents and scorpions; or like briars 
and thorns that would tear thy flesh; fear them not, for I will 
make thee strong and brave when thou standest before them, 
and thou shalt speak all the words that I tell thee to speak 
against them. 

After this, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to take a flat, 
earthen tile, and to draw upon it a picture of Jerusalem. And 
he was to set this picture of the city on the ground, with 
an iron pan 'for its wall. And before it he was to build a little 
fort, in the shape of the forts which soldiers used to build around 
cities that they besieged in those days. Then Ezekiel was to lie 
down on the ground, upon his side, before the picture of Jeru- 
salem, with his face toward it; and there he was to stay many 
days. And while he lay there he was to eat only a little coarse 
bread, and to drink only a little water, every day. 



43° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



The Lord commanded Ezekiel to do these things that the peo- 
ple might see him; for in this way the Lord intended to teach 
them what would happen to Jerusalem; how Nebuchadnezzar 
would come up with his army against the city, and build forts 
around it, and besiege it for many days. . And when the people 




EZEKIEL SHOWS BY SIGNS THE COMING SIEGE OF JERUSALEM 



should see Ezekiel taking only a little coarse bread, and a little 
water every day, they would understand how the Jews who were 
still in Jerusalem were to suffer from famine, and how they 
would have hardly enough food to keep them from starving, 
while the Chaldeans were fighting against them. 

And the Lord commanded Ezekiel to take a barber's razor, 
and with it to shave off the hair of his head and his beard. After 
he had done this he was to take a pair of scales, and weigh out 
the hair into three equal parts. Then he was to go to the place 
where he had left the picture of Jerusalem ; and one part of the 



THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 431 

hair he was to burn there, as though it were burned in the midst 
of the city; one part he was to cut up into small pieces with a 
knife; and one part he was to hold out in his hand and let 
the wind blow it away on every side. 

And the Lord told Ezekiel that so it should be done to the 
people in Jerusalem. For the Lord had chosen them to be his 
people before all other people, yet they had sinned against him 
more than any other people; therefore he was going to punish 
them as he had never punished any people before. A third part 
of them, he said, should die with the pestilence and the famine, 
in the midst of the city, like the hair that Ezekiel was to burn 
with fire; a third part should be killed by their enemies around 
and outside of the city, like the hair that he was to cut into 
pieces with a knife; and a third part should be carried away 
from their own land, and scattered over all the earth, like the 
hair that Ezekiel was to hold out in his hand, for the wind to 
blow it away on every side. 

For the time had come, the Lord said, to punish the children 
of Israel for their sins, and very soon their punishment should 
come upon them. For he would send the worst of the heathen 
nations against them, who would destroy Jerusalem and go into 
the temple, even into the most holy place, and take away its 
precious and holy things. Then, the Lord said, the men of Israel 
would be weak with fear, and unable to fight against their ene- 
mies. And they would bring out their gold and silver and throw 
it into the streets; for it could do them no good, but would in- 
crease their trouble, because they had loved it more than they 
loved God, and had so often broken his laws in getting it. 

In the sixth year after Jehoiachin was taken captive, Ezekiel 
saw again, the form like the form of a man, which he had seen 
before, sitting on a throne above the wings of the cherubim. 
And Ezekiel thought that a hand was stretched out from it, 
and that the hand took hold of a lock of his hair and lifted 
him up between the earth and the sky, and carried him away 
from the river Chebar to the gate of the temple in Jerusalem. 
There the Lord spoke to him, saying, Look now toward the 
north. So Ezekiel looked, and he saw, near the altar of burnt 



432 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

offering, an idol set up. And the Lord said, Dost thou see 
what the children of Israel have done, how they set up an 
idol, even in this holy place, to offend me, and make me go 
far away from my temple? 

But turn away from this, and thou shalt see still greater 
wickedness. Then the Lord brought Ezekiel near to the court 
of the temple, and when he looked, he saw a hole in the wall. 
And the Lord said to him, Dig now through the wall. When 
Ezekiel had done so, he saw a door that led into a dark cham- 
ber. And the Lord said, Go into this chamber and see the 
things that are done there. So Ezekiel went in, and there, on 
the walls around him, he saw pictures of unclean beasts and 
creeping things, and of all the idols that the children of Israel 
worshipped. Before these pictures stood seventy of the elders 
of Israel, each with a censer in his hand, burning incense to 
the idols; and a thick cloud of smoke went up from the incense 
through the chamber. And the Lord said to Ezekiel, Seest thou 
what the eiders of Israel are doing, every man worshipping his 
idol in the dark? For they say, The Lord does not see us, he 
has gone away from the earth. 

Then the Lord said to Ezekiel, Turn away again, and thou 
shalt see yet more of their sin. And he brought him to the inner 
court of the temple, and there Ezekiel saw about twenty-five men 
with their backs turned toward the temple, and their faces toward 
the east, where the sun rose up in the sky; and they were bowing 
down to the sun and worshipping it. And the Lord said, Dost 
thou see this ? Is it a little thing for the men of Judah to do all 
the evil they are doing here ? For they have filled the whole land 
with wickedness, and now they have come back to the temple to 
sin against me and provoke me to anger. Therefore I will pun- 
ish them in my anger, neither will I pity them; and though they 
shall cry out to me in their suffering I will not hear. 

After the vision was over, Ezekiel thought that he was lifted 
up again between the earth and the sky, and brought away 
from Jerusalem, back to the river Chebar. When he had 
come there he told the captives, who were living by the river, 
of all the things he had seen in the vision. But they would 



THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 433 

not believe what he told them; for they still chose to believe 
the false prophets who said that the people in Jerusalem should 
not be punished, and that the city should not be taken by the 
king of Babylon. 

CHAPTERS XII, XXIV, XXXIII, XXXVII (12, 24, 33, 37) 

EZEKIEL SHOWS, BY SIGNS, THAT JERUSALEM SHALL BE TAKEN. THE VISION 
OF THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES. THE TWO STICKS JOINED FOR ISRAEL 
AND JUDAH. GOD PROMISES THAT THE JEWS SHALL RETURN TO THEIR 
OWN LAND AND STAY THERE ALWAYS. 

The Lord commanded Ezekiel to make ready all the things 
that were in his house, and to carry some of them out of his 
door to another place, like a person who is moving. He was 
to do this in the day time. But when the evening should come, 
he was to dig an opening through the wall of his house, and 
was to go out through the opening, carrying more of his things 
upon his shoulder. At the same time he was to cover his face 
as if he were in trouble, and did not wish other persons to know 
him. 

Then Ezekiel did as the Lord commanded; he made his things 
ready and carried a part of them out of the door of his house 
in the day time, and took them and left them in another place. 
And in the evening he digged through the wall and brought out 
more of them, through an opening in the wall, carrying them 
upon his shoulder; and he covered his face like a person in 
trouble who did not wish others to know him. The people who 
were captives with him, saw him doing all this. 

The next morning the Lord spoke to him, saying, Do they 
not ask thee what these things mean? Tell them they are to 
show what will happen to king Zedekiah and all the people in 
the land of Israel. As thou hast taken the things out of thy 
house, and moved them to another place, so shall they be carried 
away captive to other lands. And king Zedekiah shall go also. 
His servants shall break through the wall, and he shall flee out 
of the city in the evening, carrying a burden upon his shoulder, 
and he shall cover his face to keep the Chaldeans from knowing 
him. Yet he shall not escape, for I will give him into their 



434 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

hands and they shall take him to Babylon. But although he 
shall go into that land, and die there, he shall not see it. The 
Lord meant that Zedekiah would not be able to see the land 
into which he was taken, because king Nebuchadnezzar would 
put out his eyes before he should go there. 

And the Lord commanded Ezekiel, when he should eat bread 
and drink water, to tremble, like a person who was afraid that 
his enemies were coming to take it from him. Then he was to 
tell the people that so the Jews in Jerusalem, and in the land 
of Israel, would tremble and be afraid, when their enemies should 
come to fight against them. Because their enemies should come, 
the Lord said, to destroy their cities and carry away the people 
and leave the whole land lonely and desolate. 

And in the ninth year, in the tenth month, and on the tenth 
day of the month, the Lord told Ezekiel to write down the day, 
so that it might be remembered; for on this day, he said, the 
king of Babylon has gone up against Jerusalem to besiege it. 

After these things some of the captives to whom Ezekiel was 
speaking, came to him and said, If we must be punished for all 
the sins we have done, and if the Lord is determined to destroy 
us for them, what can we do, and who can save us ? . Ezekiel 
answered them, This you can do : Repent of your sins and cease 
doing evil. For thus saith the Lord: As truly as I live, I have 
no pleasure in punishing the wicked man, or in putting him to 
death for his sin; but would rather he should turn from his 
wickedness and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; 
for why will ye die, O ye children of Israel? 

And in the twelfth year, in the tenth month, and on the fifth 
day of the month, a man who had escaped out of Jerusalem, 
came to Ezekiel at the river Chebar, and said that the city was 
taken. Then when the captives heard this, they knew that 
Ezekiel had told them only those words that the Lord had spoken 
to him, but that the false prophets had deceived them when they 
said that the men of Israel should not be punished for their 
sins, and that Jerusalem should not be taken by the king of 
Babylon. For now all Ezekiel's words had come true. The 
king of Babylon had taken Jerusalem, and had broken down 



THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 



435 



the walls of the city, and burned the houses, and the king's 
palace, and the temple with fire. He had taken king Zedekiah 
also and put out his eyes, and carried him and the people away 
to Babylon; and the whole land was left lonely and desolate. 




EZEKIEL IN THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES 

And yet, although the Lord had sent all these troubles upon 
the children of Israel, he did not mean wholly to destroy them, 
but only to punish them for a time, until they should repent; 
then he intended to bless them and take them for his people 
again. He commanded Ezekiel to tell them that the day was 
coming when he would seek for them in all the lands where they 
were carried away captive, as a shepherd seeks for his sheep that 
are lost, and that he would bring them back to their own land, 
where they had lived before. 



43 6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Once more the Lord showed Ezekiel a vision. Ezekiel thought 
that he was carried out into a valley where the ground was cov- 
ered with dead men's bones. And he walked about among the 
bones and looked on them, and saw they had no flesh on them, 
but were very dry. And the Lord spoke to him and asked him, 
saying, Can these bones be made alive again? Ezekiel an- 
swered, O Lord God, thou knowest. The Lord said to him, 
Speak to them and say, O ye dry bones, listen to the command 
of the Lord; for he says that flesh shall come upon you, and 
breath shall come into you, and you shall live. 

So Ezekiel spoke the words that the Lord commanded. After 
he had spoken, he heard a noise among the bones, and saw a 
shaking among them; they began to move and come together, 
each bone to the one belonging to it. And as soon as they had 
come together, flesh grew upon them, and skin, until the bones 
all became bodies again. But there was no breath in them; 
they were still dead. 

Then the Lord spoke to Ezekiel and commanded him to speak 
to the winds, and say, Come ye winds and blow upon these dead 
bodies, that they may have breath, and live. And Ezekiel spoke 
to the winds, and the winds blew upon the dead bodies, and 
breath came into them; they breathed and were alive, and all 
stood up on their feet like a very great army. 

Then the Lord explained to Ezekiel why he had shown him 
this vision, and what it meant. He told him that all the people 
of Israel complained because of their punishment and their trou- 
ble; they said they were like bones that were dry and dead, and 
that they had lost all hope of ever being happy, or of seeing their 
own land again. But the Lord said he would raise them up out 
of their troubles, as he had raised those dry bones to life, and 
that he would bring them back to their own land. When he 
had saved them from their troubles, and put his Spirit in their 
hearts, and brought them back to their own land again, then the 
children of Israel would know that it was the Lord who had spoken 
these words to them, and that he had made his words come true. 

The Lord commanded Ezekiel to take two sticks and give 
each of them a name ; one was to be named for the kingdom of 



THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL 437 

Israel, and the other for the kingdom of Judah. And Ezekiel 
was to write its name upon each stick. Then he was to hold the 
two sticks close together; and while he was holding them, the 
Lord said, they would grow into one stick in his hand. 

When the people should see this and ask him what it meant, 
Ezekiel was to answer them, Thus saith the Lord, I will take 
the children of Israel away from the nations where they have 
gone captive, and will bring them back to the land of Canaan. 
And after they come there, they shall not be divided into two 
nations any more, but I will make them one nation. Neither 
shall they worship idols nor do wickedly; for I will put my 
Spirit into their hearts and make them holy, and they shall 
be my people and I will be their God. They shall live in the 
land wmere their fathers lived, and their children, and their 
children's children shall live there always. And I will be 
kind to them and will give them a king who shall rule over 
them forever. 

We have read, before this, that the prophet Jeremiah told the 
people they should stay in Babylon seventy years, and then go 
back to Jerusalem. And what Jeremiah told them came true. 
When the seventy years were ended, the Jews did go back to 
Jerusalem and to Canaan, and lived in their own country, but 
this was not the going back that Ezekiel meant. For after they 
had gone back they sinned yet more than they had ever sinned 
before, and made God more angry with them than he ever had 
been, because they crucified his Son. Therefore he sent them 
out of Canaan again, and scattered them among all nations, 
as they are scattered at this day. 

But Ezekiel tells us, in the words we have just read, that the 
Lord means to bring them back into Canaan once more, and 
that when he shall do so, they will stay there always. For 
then they will not sin any more, but will repent of their wick- 
edness in crucifying God's Son, and will believe on him, and 
obey him, and take him for their Saviour. 

The time for this to happen to the Jews has not come yet, and 
we cannot tell when it may come. But we are sure that it will 
come, because God, by his holy prophet, has told us so. 



438 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

THE BOOK OF DANIEL 



CHAPTERS I, II (1, 2) 

DANIEL, SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO ARE TAKEN TO BABYLON 
BY KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR. THEY REFUSE TO EAT THE FOOD WHICH 
IS SENT THEM BY THE KING. THEY COME AS SERVANTS INTO THE KING'S 
PALACE. DANIEL INTERPRETS NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM OF THE 
GREAT IMAGE. 

While king Nebuchadnezzar was in Jerusalem, he com- 
manded the chief of his officers to choose some of the princes 
of the children of Israel, that he might take them to be servants 
in his palace at Babylon. None should be chosen, the king 
said, who had any fault in them, but only such as were young 
and beautiful and quick to learn. For he wanted them to be 
taught in all the wisdom of the Chaldeans, and to learn also 
the language that the Chaldeans spoke. After they had been 
instructed in these things for three years, they were to come 
to the palace, and stay there and wait on the king. 

Among those that were chosen by the chief officer were four 
young men, named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 
These four were brought to Babylon, and teachers were -set over 
them, that they might be taught as king Nebuchadnezzar com- 
manded. And the king sent them, each day, meat and wine 
from his own table, intending so to feed them until they should 
come to live at the palace and wait upon him. 

Now the Chaldeans worshipped idols, and offered up sacrifices 
of animals, and drink offerings of wine to them; and they ate 
of the sacrifices, and drank of the wine that had been offered to 
their idols. But Daniel did not wish to eat what had been of- 
fered to idols, lest he might offend the Lord; and beside, some 
of the animals that the Chaldeans ate, the Lord had commanded 
the children of Israel not to eat; they were called unclean. 
Therefore Daniel said to himself that he would not eat of the 
meat, nor drink of the wine that the king sent him, and the three 
young men who were with him said they also would not. 

And Daniel spoke to the chief officer, who had the care of 
him, about this thing, and asked his permission not to eat the 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 



439 



food which the king sent. Now the Lord had made the chief 
officer love Daniel, yet he dared not do as Daniel asked him; 
he answered, saying, I am afraid it will displease the king, who 
sends you your meat and your drink. For if, after a while, he 
should see your faces look paler and thinner than the faces of 
the other young men who eat food from the king's table, he may 
be angry with me, and put me to death. 




DANIEL AND HIS THREE FRIENDS REFUSING THE KING'S FOOD 

And the chief officer gave Daniel and his friends to the care 
of the steward. Then Daniel came and said to the steward, 
Try us, I beseech thee, ten days: give us, for that time, only 
pulse (that is, vegetables) to eat, and water to drink. Afterward 
look at our faces, and then at the faces of the other young men, 
who eat of the king's food, and if we look not as well as they, 
give us whatever thou shalt think best to eat. 

So the steward gave them pulse for ten days, and at the end 






44o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of that time, their faces were fatter and fairer than the faces of 
all the other young men who ate food from the king's table. 
Then he took away the meat and the wine that were sent to them, 
and gave them only pulse to eat. And God helped these four 
young men to get knowledge and wisdom, and he made Daniel 
to understand visions and dreams. 

After they had been taught for three years, the chief officer 
brought them into the palace of the king. And king Nebu- 
chadnezzar talked with them, and found that among all those 
who had been chosen for his servants, none were like Daniel, 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore they stayed at the 
palace and waited on the king. And to all the questions which 
the king asked them, they replied with wisdom and understand- 
ing, and he found them ten times better than all the wise men in his 
kingdom. Daniel lived in Babylon for more than seventy years. 

One night King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream that trou- 
bled him, so that he could not sleep. Then he commanded his 
servants to call all the wise men of Babylon; and the wise men 
came and stood before him. And the king said, I have dreamed 
a dream and am troubled because of it. Then the wise men 
spoke to the king, and said, O king, live forever: tell us what 
thy dream was, and we will interpret it for thee. The king an- 
swered, and said to the wise men, The thing is gone from me, 
and I cannot remember it: if you will not tell me what my 
dream was, and the interpretation of it, you shall be cut to 
pieces, and your houses shall be torn down and made into heaps. 
But if you tell me my dream and interpret it for me, you shall 
have great riches and honor. Therefore tell me my dream and 
the interpretation of it. 

The wise men answered again, and said, If the king will tell us 
his dream, we will tell the interpretation of it. The king an- 
swered, I know that you want to deceive me and gain time, until 
some evil has happened to me, so that you need not tell me 
at all; therefore tell it to me now, and when you tell me what 
my dream was, I will know that you can tell me the interpreta- 
tion. The wise men answered the king, and said, There is not 
a man on the earth who can tell the kins his dream; therefore 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 441 

there is no king or ruler who would ask such a thing of any 
wise man. For it is a strange thing that the king asks of us 
— to tell him his dream, when he himself has forgotten it; and 
none can tell him what it was, except the gods, who do not live 
on the earth. 

Then the king was very angry, and he commanded that all 
the wise men of Babylon should be destroyed. And the com- 
mandment went forth that they should be slain. Now Daniel 
and his three friends had not been called before the king; but 
as they were among the wise men, the king's servants sought for 
them, that they also might be put to death. When Daniel heard 
of it, he said to the king's captain who had come out to slay the 
wise men, Why is the command made in such haste by the 
king? Then the captain told Daniel of all that had hap- 
pened. And Daniel went into the palace to the king, and 
promised that if time should be given him, he would show the 
interpretation of the dream. And the king gave him the time 
that he asked for. 

Then Daniel went to his house, and told his three friends 
to pray that God would show him what the king's dream was, 
so that they might not be slain. Therefore, his three friends 
prayed to God as Daniel asked them. And in a vision of 
the night, God showed Daniel the dream and the interpreta- 
tion of it. Then Daniel praised God, and said, I thank thee 
and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, because thou hast 
heard our prayer, and told me the things that the king desires 
to know. Therefore Daniel went to the captain of the king's 
soldiers, and said to him, Destroy not the wise men of Babylon, 
but bring me in before the king, and I will tell him the inter- 
pretation of his dream. 

Then the captain brought Daniel in haste before the king, 
and the king said to him, Art thou able to make known to me 
the dream that I have dreamed, and the interpretation of it? 
Daniel answered, The secret which the king has asked, no wise 
man on earth can tell him, but there is a God in heaven that 
telleth secret things; in thy dream he has made known to thee 
what shall happen in the times to come. And God has told it 



442 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

to me, not because I am wiser than any one else, but that I should 
tell it to thee, and show thee that he is the true God, who is wor- 
shipped by the captives from Judah. 

Then Daniel told king Nebuchadnezzar his dream: he said, 
Thou sawest in thy dream, O king, a great image. The form of 
it was terrible, and it shone with exceeding brightness as it stood 
before thee. Its head was made of fine gold, its breast and arms 
were of silver, the rest of its body was of brass ; its legs were of 
iron, and its feet were part of iron and part of clay. Thou saw- 
est it, until, as thou wast looking, there came a stone cut out of 
a mountain, that struck the image upon its feet and broke them 
to pieces. Then the image fell, and the iron, the brass, the silver, 
the gold, and the clay were all broken up together by the stone, 
into pieces as small as the dust which is left on the threshing-floor, 
after the farmer has been threshing his grain ; and the wind blew 
them away, no one could tell where. Afterward the stone that 
had broken the image, grew to be a great mountain and filled all 
the earth. This was the king's dream. 

Then Daniel told the king the interpretation of it. The gold, 
the silver, the brass, the iron, and the clay that were in the 
image, all meant different kingdoms. The head of gold -meant 
Nebuchadnezzar himself, Daniel said, because God had given 
him the greatest of the kingdoms, and made him greater than 
all the other kings who were upon the earth. But after he should 
die, new kingdoms would arise: the silver, the brass, the iron, 
and the clay, meant these. Last of all, Daniel said, the Lord 
would set up one kingdom more, which should never be de- 
stroyed, but should break in pieces all the kingdoms that were 
before it, as the stone cut out of the mountain had broken 
the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. This stone meant the 
kingdom of Christ. 

After Daniel had told the king his dream, and the interpre- 
tation of it, the king fell on his face before Daniel, and said to 
him, It is true that your God is a God of gods, and a King of 
kings, and can tell all secret things, because he has told thee this 
dream. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave 
him many gifts, and appointed him ruler over the province of 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 



443 



Babylon, and the chief governor over all the wise men. And, 
because Daniel requested it, he made his three friends also rulers 
in the land. But Daniel stayed at the palace of the king. 




SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO WILL NOT WORSHIP THE GOLDEN IMAGE 

CHAPTERS III, IV (3, 4) 

SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO ARE CAST INTO THE FIERY FURNACE. 
DANIEL INTERPRETS THE KING'S DREAM OF THE GREAT TREE. NEBU- 
CHADNEZZAR IS DRIVEN OUT TO LIVE WITH THE BEASTS. 

Nebuchadnezzar, the king, made an image of gold, and 
set it up on a plain in the province of Babylon. Then the 



444 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

king sent and called the princes, the governors, the captains, 
the judges, and all the rulers of his kingdom; and these great 
men came and were gathered together before the image that 
Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then one of the king's servants 
called out in a loud voice to them, and said, It is commanded 
that as soon as you hear the sound of the harp, the flute, the 
trumpet, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and wor- 
ship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the king, has set 
up. And whosoever falleth not down and worshippeth, shall 
that same hour be cast into the midst of a burning, fiery fur- 
nace. Then the king commanded the musicians to play, and as 
soon as the people heard the sound of the music, they all fell 
down and worshipped the golden image. 

But some of the Chaldeans came to the king, and spoke 
against the Jews, saying, O king, live forever! Thou, O king, hast 
made a law that every man who shall hear the sound of the flute, 
the harp, the trumpet, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and 
worship the golden image, and that whosoever falleth not down 
and worshippeth, shall be cast into the burning, fiery furnace. 
There are some Jews whom thou hast set over the province of 
Babylon, named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and these 
men, O King, have not obeyed thee, they serve not thy gods, nor 
worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar, because these men had not obeyed 
him, commanded that they bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego ; and they brought them before the king. Nebuchadnezzar 
spoke to them, and said, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and 
Abednego, that ye do not serve my gods, nor worship the golden 
image that I have set up ? Now, if you be ready when you shall 
hear the sound of the harp, the flute, the trumpet, and all kinds of 
music, and fall down and worship the image I have made, no 
harm shall be done to you; but if you worship not, you shall be 
cast, the same hour, into the midst of a burning, fiery furnace; 
and who is the God that is able to save you out of my hands ? 

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said 
to the king, We are not afraid to tell thee what we will do in 
this matter. If thou wilt cast us into the burning, fiery furnace, 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 



445 



our God, whom we serve, is able to save us from death, and he 
will save us out of thy hand, O king. Yet even if he let us 
burn, we tell thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor 
worship the golden image that thou hast set up. 

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury. He looked in fierce 
anger on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and said to his ser- 




SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO IN THE FIERY FURNACE 

vants, that they should heat the furnace seven times hotter than 
it was heated before. And he commanded the most mighty sol- 
diers in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and 
cast them into it. Then these three men were bound, in their 
coats, their hats, and their other garments, and were thrown into 
the burning, fiery furnace. And because the furnace was exceed- 
ing hot, and the king made them go near to it, the flame killed 
the men who cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in; and 



446 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, 
bound, into the midst of the fire. But soon they rose up, and 
walked in the fire; for God would not let it burn them. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar, the king, was astonished, and he said 
in haste to the rulers and great men who were with him, Did we 
not cast three men bound, into the midst of the fire? They 
answered, We did, O king. And he said, Lo, I see four men, 
loose and walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. 
And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebu- 
chadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning, fiery furnace, 
and cried out and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye 
servants of the Most High God, come out and come here. Then 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the midst of the 
fire. And the princes, the governors, and the captains, who were 
gathered together, saw these men whom the fire had not hurt, 
nor was a hair of their heads burned, neither were their coats 
changed, nor was the smell of the fire upon them. 

Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of 
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and 
saved his servants that trusted in him. Therefore I make a de- 
cree and a law, that every nation and people which shall speak 
evil of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be 
destroyed, and their houses shall be torn down and made into 
heaps; for there is no other God that can save like him. Then 
the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego greater than 
they had been before, in the province of Babylon. 

Now Babylon was a very great city. The river Euphrates 
ran through the midst of it, so that part of the city was on one 
side of the river, and part on the other. The walls around Baby- 
lon were sixty miles long. They had in them one hundred 
gates, all made of brass. Built up above the walls were high 
towers. The palace of king Nebuchadnezzar was of great 
size, and ornamented with statues of men and animals, with 
vessels of gold and silver, and with many other costly and 
beautiful things which he had taken from the nations that he 
made to serve him. 

Near to his palace were large gardens, called The Hanging 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 447 

Gardens, because they were raised high up in the air, on the 
sides of a hill. We read (not in the Bible, but in other books 
which tell us about him) that Nebuchadnezzar made these 
gardens to please his wife. She had lived, while she was young, 
in a hilly country. When the king married her and brought 
her to Babylon, which stood on a wide, level plain, she longed 
for hills and woods, like those in the land where she was born. 
Then Nebuchadnezzar had this great hill made, four hundred 
feet high, and planted its sides with trees, and bushes and flowers. 
Steps led up to its top, and water was drawn from the river 
that flowed through the city, to water the gardens that were 
planted upon it. From a distance it looked like a mountain 
covered with woods. 

And Nebuchadnezzar lived in Babylon. He was a mighty 
king, and had princes and rulers for his servants, who, because 
they wanted to please him, told him of his greatness and praised 
everything that he did; so that he forgot God, and thought only 
of his own riches and power. Then God was displeased, and 
sent a strange punishment upon him. But after he had been 
punished, Nebuchadnezzar repented of his sins, and he sent to all 
the people of his kingdom, and to all the nations of the earth, 
an account of what God had done to him. 

He said, I thought it right to tell you of the wonderful things 
that God has done to me. I had gained the victory over my 
enemies, and was at rest in my palace, with nothing to trouble 
me, when I had a dream that made me afraid. Therefore I 
called all the wise men of Babylon and told them my dream. 
But they could not interpret it. At last came Daniel before me, 
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and I told him my dream. 
I said to him, I saw a tree that stood in the midst of a wide 
plain, and the height of it was great. The tree grew and was 
strong, and it reached up to heaven, and its branches spread out 
to the ends of the earth. The leaves of it were green, and the 
fruit plentiful. The beasts of the field lay down under its 
shadow, and the birds of the air made their nests in its branches, 
and everything that lived came to it for food. 

And I saw in my dream a holy angel come down from heaven. 



448 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

He cried with a loud voice, Hew down the tree, and cut off its 
branches, shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the 
beasts get away from under it, and the birds from its branches. 
Yet leave the stump of the tree in the ground, where the dew 
shall fall upon it and wet it. Let it be -with the beasts out in 
the field, until seven years are past. This dream I, Nebuchad- 
nezzar, have seen. And I said, O Daniel, tell me the inter- 
pretation of it, because all the wise men of my kingdom are 
not able to make it known to me. But thou art able, for the 
Spirit of God is in thee. 

Then Daniel was troubled, and afraid to answer the king. 
But the king said to him, Let not the dream trouble thee, and 
do not fear to tell me the interpretation of it. Then Daniel 
said, The tree which thou sawest, which grew and was strong, 
whose height reached to heaven, under which the beasts lay 
down, and among whose branches the birds built their nests — 
that tree means thee, O king, who hast grown great and full of 
power, and whose kingdom reaches to the end of the earth. And 
as thou didst see a holy angel coming down from heaven, and 
saying, Cut down the tree and destroy it, yet leave the stump of 
its roots in the earth, and let it be wet with dew, and be with 
the wild beasts of the field, till seven years pass over it, this 
is the interpretation, O king, and this is what God has said shall 
be done to thee, Thou shalt not stay in thy palace to be waited 
on by thy servants and to live among men. But they shall 
drive thee out to live with the beasts of the field; thou shalt 
eat grass like oxen, and lie upon the ground like them, and 
be wet with the dew, till thou hast learned that God rules over 
all the nations of the earth, and makes whomsoever he will to 
be king. 

And all of Daniel's words came true. At the end of twelve 
months, Nebuchadnezzar was walking in the palace of the king- 
dom of Babylon. And as he looked out upon that mighty city, 
its walls, its temples, its palaces, and its gardens, his heart was 
filled with pride ; he forgot that it was God who had made him 
to be king, and he said, Is not this great Babylon that I have 
built, by my own power and for my own honor and majesty? 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 449 

While the words were yet in the king's mouth, there came a 
voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it 
is spoken, the kingdom is taken from thee. And they shall 
drive thee from men, and thou shalt live with the beasts of the 
field : they shall make thee eat grass like oxen, and seven years 
shall pass over thee, until thou knowest that God rules over 
all the nations of the earth, and makes whomsoever he will to 
be king. 

In that same hour, God took from king Nebuchadnezzar his 
reason, so that he was no longer fit to rule over his kingdom, or 
to live among men. And he was driven out and did eat grass 
like oxen, and lay upon the ground, and his body was wet with 
the dew, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his 
nails like birds' claws. 

^ But when the seven years were ended, king Nebuchadnezzar 
said, I looked up to heaven, and my reason came back to me, 
and I praised God and honored him who lives forever, and whose 
kingdom shall have no end. He doeth what he will, in heaven 
and on earth, and no man can hold back his hand, or ask why he 
^ doeth anything. And when my reason came back to me, so did 
* my honor and my kingdom. For the rulers and governors 
sought for me, and I was made king again, and all my greatness 
was given me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and honor God, 
the king of heaven, who doeth only what is just and true; and 
those that are proud he is able to bring down. 



CHAPTERS V, VI, IX (5, 6, 9) 

DANIEL INTERPRETS THE WRITING ON THE WALL. BELSHAZZAR IS SLAIN, 
AND DARIUS TAKES THE KINGDOM. DANIEL IS CAST INTO THE DEN 
OF LIONS; HIS PRAYER FOR THE RETURN OF THE JEWS TO THEIR OWN 
LAND. THE ANGEL GABRIEL SPEAKS TO HIM. 

After these things Nebuchadnezzar died, and Belshazzar 
reigned over the kingdom of Babylon. He made a feast to 
a thousand of his lords, and drank wine with them in his palace. 
Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded his servants 
to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father, Nebuchad- 
nezzar, had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem. Then they 



45o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

brought the golden vessels, and the king and his princes, and his 
wives, drank out of them. They drank wine, and praised their 
idols of gold and silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 

And while they were feasting, and making merry, there 
came a man's hand, and wrote words .upon the wall of the 
king's palace, in the room where the king and his lords held 
their feast. But the writing was in a language they could not 
understand. And the king saw the hand that wrote. Then his 
face was changed, for his thoughts troubled him and he was 
filled with fear, so that his knees trembled and smote one against 
another. And he cried out aloud to his servants that they 
should bring in the wise men before him. When the wise men 
came, he said to them, Whoever shall read this writing, and tell 
the interpretation of it, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a 
chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the 
kingdom. But none of the wise men could read the writing, or 
tell the interpretation. Then the king was troubled yet more, 
and his lords were astonished at what had been done. 

Now the queen, when she heard what the king had said, came 
in before him and spoke to him, saying, O king, live forever; 
let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy face be sad. • There * 
is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, 
and in the days when thy father, Nebuchadnezzar, lived, great 
wisdom was found in him, and the king, Nebuchadnezzar, thy 
father, made him master over all the wise men of Babylon; 
because he had knowledge and understanding for interpreting 
dreams, and telling of secret things. Now let Daniel be called, 
and he will tell the interpretation. 

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king 
spoke to him, and said, Art thou that Daniel who was brought 
captive with the children of Israel, out of Judah? I have 
heard of thee that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that 
thou hast understanding and excellent wisdom. And now the 
wise men have been brought in before me, that they should read 
this writing, and make known to me the interpretation, but they 
cannot. And I have heard of thee that thou canst interpret 
and tell secret things. Now if thou canst read the writing, and 




belshazzar's feast 



451 



452 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

make known the interpretation of it, thou shalt be clothed with 
scarlet and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be 
the third ruler in the kingdom. 

Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, Keep thy 
gifts for thyself, and give thy rewards to another. Yet will I 
read the writing to the king, and make known to him the in- 
terpretation. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchad- 
nezzar, thy father, a kingdom and glory and honor. And because 
God made him so great, all nations trembled and feared before 
him. Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive ; 
whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down. 

But when his heart was full of pride, so that he forgot God, 
he was made to come down from his throne, and his great- 
ness was taken from him. He was driven out from his pal- 
ace, and from living among men, and was made like the beasts 
and lived with the wild asses. They fed him with grass like 
oxen, and his body was wet with the dew, till he learned that 
God rules over the nations of the earth, and maketh whom- 
soever he will to be king. 

And thou, his son, hast not humbled thy heart, though thou 
knewest all this, but hast been proud, and sinned against God; 
and they have brought the vessels of the temple of God before thee, 
and thou and thy lords, and thy wives, have drunk wine in them. 
Thou hast praised the idols of silver and gold, of brass, iron, 
wood, and stone, which cannot see, nor hear, nor know any- 
thing; but the true God who lets thee live, and gives thee all 
things, thou hast not praised. Therefore has he sent this hand, 
and this writing was written; and these are the words of it: 
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the inter- 
pretation: Thy kingdom is ended, God has taken it from thee. 
He tried thee as king, but thou hast not obeyed him. He has 
given thy kingdom to the Medes and the Persians. 

When Daniel had interpreted the dream, then Belshazzar 
commanded his servants to clothe him with scarlet, and to put 
a chain of gold about his neck, and the king made a decree 
that he should be third ruler in the kingdom. That same 
night came Cyrus, with the army of the Medes and Persians, into 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 



453 



Babylon, and Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was slain, 
and Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom. 

After Darius was made king, it pleased him to set over the 
people one hundred and twenty princes. Over these princes 
he set three presidents, and Daniel was the first of them. So 
Daniel was the chief one of all the presidents and princes, be- 
cause of the wise and good spirit that was in him. And Darius 




DANIEL PRAYS TO GOD BESIDE THE OPEN WINDOW 

• 

thought to make him ruler over the whole kingdom. Then the 
presidents and the princes hated Daniel, because he was greater 
than they, and they tried to find out some evil concerning him, 
that they might speak against him to the king. But they could 
find none, for he was faithful, and no fault nor error was to be 
found in him. Therefore these men said, We shall not be able 
to complain of this Daniel to the king, unless it be about some- 
thing that he does in serving his God. 



454 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Then they gathered together and came to the king, and said, 
King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of thy kingdom, 
the governors, the princes, and the captains, want a law and a 
decree to be made, that whosoever shall ask help of any god or 
man, for thirty days, except of thee, O king, shall be cast into 
the den of lions. Now, O king, make this law and this decree, 
and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed; for the law 
of the Medes and Persians changes not. Therefore king Darius 
signed the writing and the decree. 

Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went 
into his house, and the windows of his chamber being opened 
toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, 
and prayed and gave thanks to his God, as he had always done. 
Then these men gathered together, and found Daniel praying 
and asking help of God. And they went to the king, and said, 
Hast thou not signed a decree, that whoever shall ask help of 
any god, or man, for thirty days, except of thee, O king, shall 
be cast into the den of lions? The king answered, The decree 
is signed, and is made a law of the Medes and Persians, which 
changes not. Then answered they, and said, That Daniel, who 
is one of the captives of Judah, obeys thee not, O king, -or the 
decree that thou hast made, but prays and asks help of his God 
three times a day. 

Then the king, when he heard these words, was displeased 
with himself for having made the decree, because he did not want 
to punish Daniel. And he set his heart on having him excused, 
and tried until the evening to save him from punishment. But 
the presidents and the princes gathered together to the king, and 
said to him, Thou knowest, O king, that it is the law of the Medes 
and Persians, that no decree nor law which the king has made 
can be changed. Then king Darius commanded his servants, 
and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. 
But the king spoke to Daniel, and said to him, Thy God, whom 
thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. And a great stone 
was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den. 

Then the king went home to his palace, and would eat no 
food, but passed the night fasting. Neither were the instruments 



THE BOOK OF DANIEL 



455 



of music played before him as at other times; and he could 
not sleep. And he arose very early in the morning and came in 
haste to the den of lions, and cried with a mournful voice unto 
Daniel, saying, O Daniel, thou servant of the living God, is thy 
God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from 
the lions ? Then said Daniel to the king, O king, live forever. 
My God has sent his angel, and shut the lions' mouths that they 




DANIEL IN THE LIONS DEN 



have not hurt me, because I have not sinned against him;, and 
also, unto thee, O king, I have done no wrong. Then was the 
king exceedingly glad for him, and he commanded that they 
should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken 
up, and no hurt was found upon him, because he trusted in his 
God. 

And the king commanded that those men be brought who 
had spoken against Daniel, and cast into the den of lions— 
them, their children, and their wives—and the lions leaped 



456 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

on them, and broke all their bones in pieces, as soon as they 
came into the bottom of the den. Then king Darius wrote to 
all the people and nations of the earth, saying, I make a decree 
that in every part of my kingdom men tremble and fear before 
the God of Daniel. For he is the living. God ; his kingdom is 
the one that shall not be destroyed, and his power shall never 
end. He is the God who can save from danger, who has saved 
Daniel from the mouths of the lions. So Daniel prospered in 
the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus, who was made 
king after Darius was dead. 

While Daniel was in Babylon, he read in a book the words 
which the Lord had commanded the prophet Jeremiah to write, 
saying, that after the Jews had been captive for seventy years, 
they should go back to their own land. And when those seventy 
years were nearly ended, Daniel fasted, and prayed to the 
Lord, for the people of Judah, that they might go back, and 
for the city of Jerusalem, that it might be built again. He said, 

Lord, we have done wickedly and have disobeyed thy law, 
and would not listen to thy prophets whom thou didst send to 
tell us of our sins. We, and our kings, and our princes, and 
all the children of Israel have disobeyed thee. Therefore that 
punishment is come upon us which Moses said should be sent. 
And now, O Lord, who didst bring thy people up out of Egypt, 

1 beseech thee be not angry against us any more ; for, because 
of our sins, Jerusalem, and thy people, the children of Israel, 
are made to be ashamed before all the nations that are around 
us. O Lord, forgive us, and make haste to help us; for we do 
not ask this of thee because we deserve to be forgiven, but be- 
cause thou art merciful. 

While Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel flew by him 
swiftly, and touched him: it was in the evening, about the time 
when the priests used to offer up a lamb for a burnt offering at 
the temple in Jerusalem. And the angel said, O Daniel, I am 
come to tell thee of things that shall happen. At the beginning 
of thy prayer I was commanded to come unto thee, for thou 
art greatly loved of God. Therefore, understand the words 
that I shall speak. Then the angel told Daniel that the Jews 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 457 

should go back to their own land and build up Jerusalem, 
and that four hundred and eighty-three years afterward the 
Saviour would be born. But, the Saviour, the angel said, 
would be put to death, and then enemies would come and 
destroy Jerusalem and the temple again. 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 



CHAPTERS I-VI (1-6) 

CYRUS, KING OF PERSIA, SENDS THE JEWS BACK TO THEIR OWN LAND. THEY 
BEGIN TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE, BUT ARE STOPPED BY THE SAMARITANS. 
THE PROPHET HAGGAI REPROVES THEM FOR THEIR DELAY, AND THE 
TEMPLE IS FINISHED IN THE REIGN OF DARIUS. 

And now the seventy years that the Jews were to spend in 
captivity had passed, and the time for them to go back to their 
own land had come. Therefore God made Cyrus, who was 
king in Babylon, willing to let them go. Then those words 
came true which the prophet Isaiah spoke, when he was alive, 
saying, That God would raise up a great king, named Cyrus, 
who would send the people back to build up Jerusalem and the 
temple again. It had been nearly two hundred years since 
Isaiah spoke those words. Cyrus was not born at that time; 
neither had the Jews yet been sent away from their own land. 
But God knew of all that would happen, and he told his 
prophet to foretell these things. 

And king Cyrus made a proclamation, or decree, and sent it 
through all his kingdom, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, king of 
Persia, The Lord has commanded me to build up his house in 
Jerusalem. Who is there among the captives from Judah that 
wishes to go back to his own land ? Let him go now and build 
up the house of the Lord ; and let the people of my kingdom 
help those who go, by giving them silver and gold, and cattle, 
and raiment, to take with them. 

Then the chief men of the Jews, and the priests and the Le- 
vites, and all those whom the Lord made willing to go, prepared 
to start on their journey. And many persons gave them vessels 



458 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of silver and gold, and cattle, and raiment, as the king had com- 
manded. And king Cyrus brought out the vessels which Neb- 
uchadnezzar had taken from the temple, and he counted them 
and gave them to the prince of Judah, who was going back 
with the people. The name of this prince was Zerubbabel; 
he was descended from king David. The number of all the 
vessels of gold arid silver that Cyrus gave to him, was five 
thousand and four hundred. 

So Zerubbabel took the vessels and carried them to Jerusalem. 
And there went with him forty-two thousand, three hundred and 
sixty persons of the children of Israel, beside their servants, who 
were seven thousand, three hundred and thirty-seven more. They 
had with them, seven hundred and thirty-six horses, two hun- 
dred and forty-five mules, four hundred and thirty-five camels, 
and six thousand, seven hundred and twenty asses. When 
they came to Jerusalem, they found it in ruins, as the army 
of Nebuchadnezzar had left it so many years before. The walls 
of the city, the houses, and the temple had been broken down 
and burned. 

And the people built again the altar of the Lord, which 
stood in the court of the temple. They made haste to build 
it that they might worship God, and ask for his help, because 
they were afraid of the heathen nations around them. As soon 
as the altar was built they offered up burnt offerings on it every 
day, a lamb in the morning, and a lamb in the evening, as 
the children of Israel used to do, before they were carried away 
to Babylon. 

Then they made ready to rebuild the temple, and hired men of 
Tyre, as Solomon had done, to cut down cedar trees on mount 
Lebanon, and make rafts of them and float them, by the sea, 
near to Jerusalem. They gave these men meat, and drink, and 
oil while they worked for them; and they paid money to car- 
penters, and masons who began to build the house. When the 
first stones of it were laid, the priests and Levites played on 
trumpets and cymbals, and sang songs of praise to the Lord. 
And the people were glad and shouted with a great shout, 
because the building of the temple was begun. But many of 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 



459 



the old men, who remembered the beautiful temple which stood 
there before, wept with a loud voice. So that the sounds of 
shouting and the sounds of weeping went up together, and 
were heard afar off. 

We have read that after the king of Assyria carried away the 
ten tribes of Israel as captives, he sent people from his own land 




THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE 



to live in the cities which they had left. These people, who 
were called Samaritans, had been living there ever since that 
time. They worshipped idols, though they pretended to serve 
God. But now, when they heard that the people of Judah had 
come back to their own land, and were rebuilding the temple, they 
came to Zerubbabel, and the rulers of the Jews, and said to 
them, Let us help you, for we are the servants of God as well 
as you, and have offered up sacrifices to him ever since the king 
of Assyria sent us to live in the land of Israel. 



460 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the high priest, and the chief men of 
Israel, answered the Samaritans, and said, You have nothing to 
do with the building of the Lord's house. We will build it our- 
selves, as Cyrus, king of Persia, has commanded us. At this 
answer the Samaritans were angry, and di'd all they could to stop 
the Jews, and hired men to speak to the king's officers against 
them. They did this as long as Cyrus lived. 

After Cyrus died Artaxerxes was made king, and they wrote 
a letter to him, saying, We want thee to know, O king, that the 
Jews who came from Babylon are now at Jerusalem, which is a 
wicked city, and they are building it up again and setting up its 
walls. And if this city be built and the walls set up, they will 
not pay thee tribute as thy servants ought to do, but will rebel 
against thee. Now, because we do not want the king to be dis- 
obeyed by them, we send him word, so that he may inquire and 
find out whether the city of Jerusalem was not always a rebel- 
lious city, which gave trouble to the kings that reigned in the 
old time; for on this account Jerusalem was destroyed. 

And the king did as the Samaritans asked him. Afterward 
he sent an answer to them, saying, The letter which you wrote 
me has been read before me, and I have inquired, and do find 
that Jerusalem was a rebellious city which gave trouble to the 
kings of old time. Therefore I tell you to go and command the 
men of Judah that they cease, and that the city be not built until 
permission shall be given them. Then the Samaritans went 
in haste to Jerusalem, and made the people cease building. So 
the work of building the temple was stopped as long as Artax- 
erxes was king. 

After this Artaxerxes died, and Darius was made king. But 
now, although the men of Judah knew there was another king 
in Babylon, they did not send and ask permission of him to go 
on building the temple. For since the Samaritans had stopped 
them in building it, they had been building houses for them- 
selves, and had become more interested in this than in finishing 
the house of the Lord ; so they put off the building of the temple. 
Therefore the Lord was displeased with them, and sent Haggai, 
the prophet, who came and said: Thus saith the Lord, You 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 461 

say. It is not yet time for the Lord's house to be built. But is 
it time for you to be living in beautiful houses of your own, 
while my house lies in ruins ? It is because you have left it 
unbuilt, and have made haste, every man, to build his own house, 
that I have not blessed you, and that you have not prospered 
and been happy. Now, therefore, go up to the mountains and 
cut wood, and build the house, and I will be pleased with it. 

Then the people obeyed the command of the Lord, and began 
to build the house. But when the Samaritans saw it, they came 
again to Zerubbabel and to Jeshua, the high priest, and said to 
them, Who has commanded you to go on building the temple ? 
Zerubbabel and Jeshua answered them, King Cyrus commanded 
us to come back to our own land, and to build this house. And 
he gave us the vessels of gold and silver which Nebuchadnezzar 
had taken out of the temple, and said to us, Go, carry them to 
Jerusalem, and let the temple be built there. 

Then the Samaritans wrote a letter to king Darius, at Babylon, 
and told him what the people of Judah said. And they asked 
the king to inquire and see whether it was true that Cyrus had 
commanded them to build the temple. When Darius read the 
letter, he told his servants to search in the books where all the 
decrees were written down, which the different kings of Babylon 
had made. And a book was found with these words written 
in it : In the first year that Cyrus was king, he made a decree, 
saying, Let the house of the Lord, where the Jews used to 
offer up sacrifices, be built again at Jerusalem ; let the founda- 
tions of it be strongly laid, and let the money that it shall cost 
be given out of the king's treasury. Also let the gold and silver 
vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple, be taken 
back to Jerusalem and put into the temple that shall be built 
there. 

As soon as king Darius found this decree, which Cyrus had 
made so many years before, he sent word to the Samaritans to 
let the men of Judah build the house of the Lord, and not to 
disturb them. And Darius said, I make a decree that some of 
the king's tribute, which the Samaritans should pay to the king, 
they shall pay to the Jews instead, so that the Jews may go on 



462 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

building the temple : and that young bullocks, and rams, and 
lambs be given them for burnt offerings; and wheat and salt, 
and wine, and oil, whenever the priests may ask for them. Let 
these things be given them day by day, without fail, so that 
they may offer sacrifices unto God, and 'pray for the king and 
his sons. King Darius said also, Whoever shall alter this law 
and decree, that I have made, shall have the timber pulled out 
of his house, and a gallows shall be built of it, and he shall be 
hanged thereon. Then his house shall be torn down and made 

into heaps. 

When the Samaritans and their chief men heard this decree, 
they feared to disobey the king. Therefore they ceased troubling 
the Jews, and gave them young bullocks, and rams, and lambs 
for burnt offerings, and also wheat, and salt, and wine, and oil, as 
the king commanded. So the men of Judah went on building 
the house until it was finished. Then they dedicated it to the 
Lord and offered up sacrifices to him, a hundred bullocks, two 
hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve goats. And they 
sent the priests and Levites to the temple to attend to the wor- 
ship of God there. And in the first month the people kept the 
feast of the passover for seven days, with joy; because the Lord 
had made them glad, and had caused the king of Persia to be 
kind to them, and to help them in finishing the temple. 

CHAPTERS VII-X (7-10) 

EZRA, AND THE JEWS WHO ARE WITH HIM, GO UP TO JERUSALEM. HE IS 
TOLD THAT MANY OF THE PEOPLE THERE HAVE TAKEN HEATHEN WIVES. 
HE COMMANDS THOSE WHO HAVE SINNED IN THIS THING TO PUT THEIR 
WIVES AWAY. 

After these things, and while Artaxerxes was king of Persia, 
there lived in Babylon a Jew, named Ezra. He was a priest 
and teacher of the laws which God had given to Moses, and 
was a learned and holy man. Now Ezra loved the Jews, and 
was very anxious they should obey God and have his bless- 
ing. Therefore he asked permission of Artaxerxes, the king, to 
go to Jerusalem that he might teach God's laws more perfectly 
to the Jews who were there, and see also that they obeyed them. 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 



463 



And Artaxerxes gave Ezra permission to go. He not only 
did this, but he and his princes gave him presents of gold and 
silver to take with him, as offerings to God. And the king 
gave Ezra a letter which said, I make a law and a decree, that 
all the people of Israel who are still in Persia, and who want 
to go up to Jerusalem, may go with Ezra, because he is sent 
to inquire and see whether the law of his God is obeyed there; 




THE KING GIVES EZRA A LETTER 

and to carry up the silver and gold which the king, and his 
princes, and the people of Babylon shall give him as an offering 
to the God of Israel. 

And thou, Ezra, shalt take the money that is given thee, and 
go up, and buy with it bullocks, rams, and lambs as sacrifices, 
and shalt offer these on the altar, at the house of your God which 
is in Jerusalem. The vessels, also, which are given thee to be 
used at the temple, do thou carry with thee. And whatever 



464 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

more thou may est need for the temple of thy God, shall be taken 
out of the king's treasure-house. And I, Artaxerxes, the king, 
do command all the treasurers who have the care of my money 
in the provinces where Ezra is going, to give him, whenever he 
shall ask for it, as much as a hundred talents of silver, a hun- 
dred measures of wheat, a hundred portions of wine, and of 
oil, and salt as much as he shall want, without waiting to measure 
it. And whatever God shall command to be done for his temple, 
let it be done diligently, so that he may not be angry and send 
punishment upon my kingdom. 

And do thou, Ezra, choose men for judges in the land of 
Judah, that they may judge the people who have learned the 
law of thy God; and let those who have not learned it, be taught 
it. And whoever will not obey the law of thy God, and the 
command of the king, let him be punished with the punishment 
he deserves, whether it be by putting him to death, or by send- 
ing him away to some other land, or by taking away his riches 
from him, or by shutting him up in prison. 

After the .king had given this letter to Ezra, Ezra thanked 
God for putting into the king's heart such kind feelings toward 
him, and for making the king willing to let him go up to Jeru- 
salem, that he might teach God's laws to the people. Then Ezra 
called some of the chief men of the Jews who were yet in Baby- 
lon, and some of the priests and Levites, and gathered them 
together by the river of Ahava. There they set up their tents 
and stayed three days. And Ezra told them to fast, and pray 
to the Lord, so that the Lord might show them the right way 
for them to go, and might take care of them, and their little 
children, and of the treasures they would carry with them, while 
they were on their journey. For Ezra was ashamed to ask the 
king to send soldiers with them, to guard them by the way; be- 
cause he had told the king that the Lord himself would guard 
all those who obeyed him, but would punish those who sinned 
against him. So Ezra and all the people who were with him, 
fasted and prayed to God, and God heard their prayers. 

Then Ezra called to him twelve of the priests, and he weighed 
out to them the silver, the gold, and the vessels which had been 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 4 6 5 

given by the king, and the princes, and the people as offerings to 
the temple. He found there were six hundred and fifty talents 
of silver, and of silver vessels a hundred talents, and of gold a 
hundred talents; also twenty basins of gold, and two vessels of 
fine copper as precious as gold. And Ezra said to the priests, 
This silver and gold is an offering to the Lord. Be careful of 
it and watch over it to keep it safe, until you shall bring it to 
Jerusalem, and there weigh it out again and give it to the priests 
and Levites at the temple. 

Then the priests took the silver, the gold, and the vessels, to 
bring them to the temple. And Ezra, and all the people who 
were with him, started from the river of Ahava on the twelfth 
day of the first month. They had to go through a wild, desert 
country, and enemies were waiting to rob them as they passed 
by. But the Lord watched over them, and would not allow 
their enemies to harm them. So they went on their journey, 
and in about four months safely reached Jerusalem. After 
coming into the city they rested for three days. Then they 
went up to the temple, and there the silver, the gold, and the 
vessels, which they had brought, were weighed again, to see that 
none had been lost; and afterward, were given to the priests and 
Levites at the temple. 

And now all the Jews who had come from Babylon with Ezra 
and whom the Lord had saved from their enemies by the way' 
offered up sacrifices to God, twelve bullocks, ninety-six rams' 
seventy-seven lambs, and twelve goats. And Ezra gave the 
letters which the king had written, to the governors who ruled 
over the provinces in that part of the kingdom; and the gov- 
ernors obeyed the words of the king, and gave to Ezra and the 
people such things as the king commanded. 

After this some of the chief men among the Jews, came to 
Ezra and told him that the people of Jerusalem, and also the 
priests and the Levites, had disobeyed the Lord; for they had 
made friends with the heathen nations around them, and taken 
heathen women for their wives. And the princes and rulers, the 
men said, had been the principal ones in committing this sin. 
When Ezra heard their words, he was filled with sorrow; he 



466 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

rent his clothes, and plucked off the hair of his head, and sat 
down in great distress. Then all those persons who served God, 
and who were afraid lest he might punish the people for their 
wickedness, came to Ezra. But Ezra sat still in his grief, until 
the time when the evening sacrifice of a lamb was being offered 

up at the temple. 

Then he kneeled down and spread out his hands, and prayed , 
saying, O my God, I am ashamed to lift up my face to thee; be- 
cause the sins of the children of Israel are so many and so great, 
that they are like a mountain reaching up to the skies. All our 
lives we have been sinning against thee, and because of our sins 
thou hast let the heathen nations gain the victory over us, and 
they have killed our people with the sword, and made us their 
captives, as we are at this day : 

But thou, our God, hadst pity upon us, and madest the kings 
of Persia kind to us, so that they allowed us to come back to our 
own land, and to build up the temple again. Yet after all this, 
we have disobeyed thy commandments, which said, You shall 
not make friends with the wicked nations of Canaan, nor take 
wives from among them for ever. O Lord, thou art good to us 
because thou hast not destroyed us for this, but dost allow us 
still to live. And now we are come before thee with our sins 
upon us; for we have no excuse to make. 

When Ezra had prayed, and confessed the wickedness of the 
people, there came to him great numbers of men and women 
and children, who were weeping on account of the sins that had 
been done. Then one of the men of Israel, whose name was 
Shecaniah, spoke to Ezra and said, We have sinned against 
God and taken wives from among the heathen nations. Yet, 
now, that he may forgive us, let us promise him to put away our 
wives from us, as thou hast told us we should. Rise up, Ezra, 
for thou hast power to make us obey thee; and we also will 
help thee; fear not then, but do it. 

Then Ezra rose up and made the priests, the Levites, and all 
the people promise to do as Shecaniah said. And word was 
sent through all the land of Judah, that the people should come 
to Jerusalem, and that whoever would not come within three 



THE BOOK OF EZRA 46? 

days, should have his money, his goods, his cattle, and all that 
he had, taken from him; and should not any longer be counted 
as one of the children of Israel. So the people came within 
three days. And they were gathered together in the street near 
to the temple, afraid and trembling on account of their sin • at 
the .same time a great rain was falling upon them. 
■ Then Ezra stood up and spoke to them, saying, You have 
disobeyed God and taken heathen wives, and so have brought 
still greater guilt upon the children of Israel. Now therefore 
confess your guilt to God, and do what will please him. Be no 
longer friends with those wicked nations, and put away your 
heathen wives from you. Then all the people answered with a 
loud voice, saying, As thou hast commanded, so we will do 
Yet, they said, we cannot stand without, in the rain; neither can 
we all of us put away our wives in one day, or in two days for 
a great many of us have sinned in this thing. Let our rulers 
therefore, meet together, and let all those who have taken heathen 
wives come before them, that the rulers may judge them, and 
command each one what he shall do, so that the anger of our 
Lord may be turned away from us. 

And Ezra did as the people said. For he, and some of the 
chief of the elders, went on the first day of the tenth month and 
sat down at a place where the men of Israel could come to them 
And all who had taken heathen wives came and confessed their 
sin, and promised to put them away. So many persons did 
this, that it took Ezra, and the elders who were with him three 
months to question them all and hear what they had to say, and 
to tell each one what it would be right for him to do 



468 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

THE BOOK OF ESTHER 

CHAPTERS I-IV (1-4) 

KING AHASUERUS MAKES A GREAT FEAST TO HIS SERVANTS IN HIS PALACE. 
VASHTI THE QUEEN, REFUSES TO OBEY HIM. ESTHER IS MADE QUEEN. 
HAMAN^ BECAUSE MORDECAI WILL NOT BOW TO HIM, TRIES TO DESTROY 
ALL THE JEWS IN THE KINGDOM. 

All the Jews had not come back to Jerusalem with Zerub- 
babel and Ezra : many of them still lived in the land of Persia. 
The name of the king who reigned over Persia at this time 
was Ahasuerus. In the third year of his reign, he made a 
great feast for his servants in the court, or garden of his palace, 
that was in the city of Shushan, where the kings of Persia lived 
during the winter. Around the court were hung curtains of 
white and green and blue, which were fastened by cords and 
silver rings, to pillars of marble. The beds in the palace were 
made of gold and silver, and the pavement was of red and blue, 
and white and black marble. The persons at the feast drank out 
of vessels of gold, and the king's wine was given in abundance, so 
that every man might drink as much as he wanted. 

Vashti, the queen, also made a feast for the women in the 
palace of king Ahasuerus . And on the seventh day of the king's 
feast, after he had drunk wine and was merry, he sent to bring 
Vashti before him, with the crown upon her head, that the princes 
and people might see her beauty. Now in Persia the women 
lived in a separate part of the house, by themselves, and never 
came out before men unless they wore veils. And when the king 
Ahasuerus sent for Vashti, the queen, to come before all the 
princes and people, that they might see her face unveiled, she 
refused to obey the king's command. 

Therefore the king was angry, and said to his wise men, 
What shall we do to queen Vashti, and how shall she be pun- 
ished, because she has not obeyed the command of the king.' 
One of the wise men answered, Vashti has done wrong, not only 
to the king, but also to all the princes and people of thy king- 
dom For all the women of Persia will no more obey their hus- 
bands, when they hear that king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti, 



THE BOOK OF ESTHER 4 6 9 

the queen, to come in before him and she came not. Therefore 
let the king make a decree, and let it be written among the 
laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed, 
that Vashti shall come no more before the king; and let the 
king choose another woman for queen who is better than she. 
Then, when this decree shall be known throughout the king- 
dom, all the wives, both of rich men and of poor men, will 
obey their husbands. 

These words pleased the king and his princes, and the 
king did as the wise man had told him. For he sent letters 
through all the different provinces of his kingdom, commanding 
that every man should be ruler in his own house, and that this 
law should be made known to all the people. Then the king's 
servants came to him, saying, Let the king send officers to all 
the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all 
the beautiful young women of Persia into the palace at Shushan; 
and let the one who pleaseth the king best, be queen instead of 
Vashti. And the' king did as his servants said. 

Now there was among the servants at the palace a Jew, 
named Mordecai, who had a cousin named Esther. She was 
a Jewess. Her father and mother were dead, but when they 
died Mordecai took Esther to his house, and since that time 
had brought her up as his own daughter. And the maid was 
fair and beautiful. 

And it happened, when the king's command was made 
known through the land, and many young maidens were 
gathered together at Shushan, the palace, that Esther was 
brought there among them, and given to the care of the king's 
officer who had the charge of the women. The officer was 
pleased with Esther, and gave her a present, and also seven 
young maidens to wait on her; and he put her and her maidens 
into the^ best part of the house of the women. But Esther did 
not let it be known that she was a Jewess, for Mordecai had 
advised her not to tell it. 

When king Ahasuerus saw Esther, he loved her more than 
all the other maidens who were brought before him, so that he 
set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead 



47° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



of Vashti. Then the king made a great feast that was called 
Esther's feast, and he gave gifts to his servants for her sake. 
But Esther was still careful to do all that Mordecai told her, 
for she obeyed him now, although she was made queen, as 
willingly as when she lived in his house .and was brought up 
as his own daughter. 




THE CROWNING OF ESTHER 



In those days, two of the king's officers, because they were 
angry with the king, wanted to lay hands on him and kill him. 
But Mordecai, who was a watchman at the king's gate, heard 
what they said, and told Esther, and Esther told the king. When 
the officers were examined their guilt was found out, and 
they were both hanged on a gallows. And what Mordecai 
had done to save the king's life, was written down in a book, 
where an account was kept of all the principal things that 
happened in the kingdom. 



THE BOOK OF ESTHER 



471 



Now there was at the palace a servant named Haman. After 
these things, king Ahasuerus made Haman a great man, and 
set him above all the princes who were at the palace with him. 




MORDECAI WILL NOT BOW DOWN BEFORE HAMAN 



And all the king's servants, who watched by the king's gate, 
bowed down and did reverence before Haman, for so the king 
commanded them to do. But Mordecai would not bow down 
before him. Then the king's servants said to Mordecai, Why 
dost thou not obey the king's command? And after they 
had spoken to him day by day, and he would not listen to them, 
they told Haman of it. 

When Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him 
reverence, he was very angry and determined to punish him. 
But he was not satisfied to punish Mordecai alone, he thought 
he would punish, and destroy, all the Jews that were in Persia; 
for the king's servants had told him that Mordecai was a Jew' 



472 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

So Haman spoke to king Ahasuerus against the Jews. He said, 
There are some of them living in all the provinces of thy king- 
dom, and they have laws of their own which are different from 
the laws of thy people, neither do they obey the king's laws. 
Therefore it is not well for the king to let them live. And if 
the king will make a decree that they shall be destroyed, I will 
pay ten thousand talents of silver into the king's treasury. 

King Ahasuerus listened to what Haman said, and took his 
ring from his finger and gave it to Haman. Now the ring 
was what the king used when he made a law T , or decree; he 
sealed the writing with his ring instead of signing it with his 
name, as we do now, and that was what made it one of the 
laws of the Medes and Persians which could not be changed. 
When he gave Haman his ring, he meant that Haman should 
make such a decree as he chose against the Jews, and seal it with 
his ring; for then it would be the same as if the king himself 
had made it. The king told Haman also that he need not pay 
the ten thousand talents of silver into his treasury, but he might 
do with the Jews as he pleased. 

Then Haman called the king's scribes, or writers, together, 
and they wrote for him a decree that, on the thirteenth day of 
the twelfth month, the people of Persia should kill and destroy 
all the Jews in the kingdom, both young and old, little children 
and women. And whoever should kill them, had permission 
to take their houses, their lands, and their money, and to 
keep these things for his own. Haman sealed the decree with 
the king's ring, and copies of it were sent by messengers to 
the governors and rulers of all the provinces, so that it might 
be made known to all the people of Persia. And the mes- 
sengers went out in haste, according to the king's command- 
ment. After they had gone, the king and Haman sat down 
to drink wine together. 

When Mordecai heard of the decree that Haman had made, 
he was filled with sorrow; he rent his clothes, and put on sack- 
cloth, and went out into the streets of the city, and cried with a 
loud and bitter cry. He came even before the king's gate, though 
he might not pass through there, because it was forbidden that 



THE BOOK OF ESTHER 473 

any one should pass through the king's gate who was clothed in 
sackcloth. And in every province where the messengers brought 
the decree, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fast- 
ing, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay down in sackcloth 
and ashes because of their grief. 

Now Queen Esther had not heard of the decree, but her maids 
came and told her that Mordecai was clothed in sackcloth, and 
that he cried in the streets of the city. Then Esther was very 
sorry, and she sent new garments to him, that he might take off 
the sackcloth and put the new garments on. But he would not. 
Therefore Esther called one of the king's officers who waited on 
her, and sent him to Mordecai to ask why he was troubled. So 
the officer went to the street before the king's gate, where Mor- 
decai was, and asked him. Then Mordecai told the officer of all 
that had happened, and of the money that Haman had promised 
to pay into the king's treasury, if he might be allowed to destroy 
the Jews. Mordecai gave the officer also a copy of Haman's 
decree, to show Esther; and he asked the officer to tell the queen 
that she should go into the palace to the king, and pray and be- 
seech him to save the Jews. 

And the officer came and told Esther what Mordecai said. 
Then Esther sent word to Mordecai, saying, All the king's ser- 
vants, and all the people of Persia know, that whosoever shall go 
in before the king without being called, whether it be man or 
woman, must be put to death, unless the king shall hold out 
the golden sceptre. But I have not been called to come unto 
the king these thirty days; how then can I go and speak with 
him? 

And the officer went and told Mordecai. But Mordecai sent 
again to Esther, and said to her, Do not think, because thou art 
queen, that our enemies will spare thee when they kill all the 
Jews. For if thou wilt not try to save thy people at this time, 
some one else shall save them, but thou and thy relations shall 
be destroyed. And who can tell whether thou hast not been 
made queen on purpose for this time, so that thou mightest 
save them ? Then Esther sent word to Mordecai, saying, Go and 
gather together all the Jews that are in the city, and let them fast 



474 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

for me, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day; 
I also, and my maidens, will fast, and then I will go in and speak 
with the king, though he has not called for me. And if I be 
put to death, I am willing to die. So Mordecai went and called 
all the Jews together, and they did as Esther commanded. 



CHAPTERS V-IX (5-9) 

ESTHER COMES IN BEFORE THE KING, WHO RECEIVES HER KINDLY. 
SHE INVITES THE KING AND HAMAN TO HER BANQUET. HAMAN IS 
HANGED UPON THE GALLOWS THAT HE MADE FOR MORDECAI. THE 
JEWS DESTROY THEIR ENEMIES. 

On the third day Esther dressed herself in her royal robes 
and went into the inner part of the king's palace. She stood 
where the king, as he sat on his throne, could see her. And it 
was so, when he saw her, that God made him feel kindly toward 
her, and he held out his golden sceptre to Esther. So she came 
near to him, and touched the top of the sceptre. Then said the 
king to her, What is thy desire, queen Esther, and what is thy 
request ? It shall be given thee, even to the half of my king- 
dom. Esther answered, If the king be willing, I want the king 
and Haman to come to-day to a banquet that I have made 
ready for him. Then the king spoke to his servants, saying, 
Tell Haman to make haste, that he may do as the queen has 
said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther 
made ready. 

Now the king knew that Esther had invited him because she 
wanted to ask some favor of him, and as they sat at the banquet, 
he said to her again, What is thy desire ? It shall be given thee, 
even to the half of my kingdom. Esther answered, My desire 
is, if the king be willing, that the king and Haman come to 
another banquet which I shall make ready for them to-morrow, 
and then I will tell the king what it is I would ask of him. So 
the king and Haman went from the queen's house that day. 
And Haman's heart was filled with pride because he had been 
to the queen's banquet, and was invited to her house again on 
the morrow. But as he went out, and passed Mordecai at the 



THE BOOK OF ESTHER 



V 



475 



king's gate, and saw that he did not bow to him, nor do him 
reverence, he was filled with anger, yet he said nothing. 

When he came to his home, he sent and called for his friends 
and for his wife. And Haman boasted to them of his riches 
and greatness, and told them how the king had set him above 
all the princes, and above all the king's other servants. He 
said also, Yes, and Esther _the queen allowed no man to come in 




ESTHER TOUCHES THE GOLDEN SCEPTRE 



with the king to the banquet that she had made ready, except- 
ing myself. And to-morrow I am invited to come again with 
the king to her house. Yet all these things cannot make me 
happy while I see Mordecai, the Jew, sitting in the king's 
gate. Then his wife, and all his friends, said to him, Let a 
gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and to-morrow ask the 
king that Mordecai may be hanged on it; then, after that, 
go thou in merrily to the queen's banquet. And Haman was 



476 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

pleased with what they said to him, and he went out and com- 
manded the gallows to be made. 

That night the king could not sleep. And he told his ser- 
vants to bring him the book, in which was written down an 
account of the principal things that had happened in his king- 
dom. And the book was brought and read before him, and 
there it was found written that Mordecai had, a long while 
before, saved the king's life by telling of two of the king's officers 
who had intended to kill him. 

Then king Ahasuerus said to his servants, What reward has 
been given Mordecai, or what honor has been done to him, be- 
cause he did this? They answered, There has been nothing 
done for him. While the king was speaking to his servants, 
some one came into the court of the palace. And the king said, 
Who is it in the court ? Now Haman had just come there that 
he might speak with the king, and ask his permission to have 
Mordecai hanged on the gallows which was made ready for him. 
Then the king's servants answered, It is Haman who stands in 
the court. The king said, Let him come in. 

So Haman came in, and the king said to him, What shall 
be done for the man whom the king wants greatly to honor? 
Then Haman said to himself, The king means me: I am the 
one whom he wants greatly to honor. Therefore he answered 
the king, saying, Let the royal robes that the king wears, and 
the horse that he rides, and the crown that is set on his head, 
be brought to the man whom the king wants greatly to honor. 
Let him wear the king's robes, and his crown, and let him ride 
upon the king's horse; and let one of the king's most noble 
princes lead the horse through the streets of the city, while he 
cries out to all the people, Thus shall it be done to the man 
whom the king delighteth to honor! 

Then the king said to Haman, Make haste and take the robes 
and the horse, and the crown, and do to Mordecai, the Jew, as 
thou hast said; leave nothing that thou hast spoken undone. 
Then Haman, because he dared not disobey the king, took the 
king's robes, his horse, and his crown, and brought them to 
Mordecai, and led. him on horseback through the streets of the 



THE BOOK OF ESTHER 



477 



city, and cried out before him to all the people, Thus shall it be 
done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor. After all 
this, Mordecai came and sat down again, humbly, in his place 
at the king's gate. But Haman made haste to his home, 
full of shame, with his face covered, so that no one might 
know him. And he told his wife and all his friends what had 




MORDECAI RIDES UPON THE KING'S HORSE 

happened to him. While he was yet talking with them, the 
king's messenger came to bring him to the banquet that Esther 
had made ready. 

So the king and Haman came to the banquet of Esther, the 
queen. And the king said, again, to Esther, What is thy peti- 
tion, queen Esther? And what is thy request ? For it shall be 
given thee, even to the half of my kingdom. Esther answered, 
If the king be pleased with me, this is my request, that the 
king will save my life, and the lives of all the Jews. For evil 



478 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



things have been spoken against us, which are not true, 
and I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, to be 
slain, and to perish. King Ahasuerus said, Who is the man 
that has dared to do these things? Esther answered, Our 
enemy is this wicked Haman. 

Then Haman was afraid before the king and queen. And 
the king arose from the banquet in great anger, and went out into 




HAMAN BEGS FOR HIS LIFE 



the palace garden. When he came again into the banqueting- 
room, Haman had fallen down before the queen to beg for his 
life. But one of the king's officers said to the king, Behold the 
gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made ready for Mor- 
decai who saved the king's life, is standing by the house of Ha- 
man. And the king said, Hang him upon it. So they hanged 
Haman on the gallows that he had made ready for Mordecai; 
and the king's anger went from him. 



THE BOOK OF ESTHER 479 

On the same day, king Ahasuerus gave to Esther the house 
in which Hainan had lived. And Mordecai was called in before 
the king, for Esther told him that Mordecai was her relation, 
and how kind he had been to her. Then the king took off his 
ring, which he had before given to Haman, and gave it to Mor- 
decai. And Esther made Mordecai ruler over the house that 
belonged to Haman. 

But Esther was still troubled, because the decree which Ha- 
man had written and sealed with the king's ring, had been sent 
out to all the provinces, telling the governors, the rulers, and 
the people of Persia, that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth 
month, they should kill and destroy the Jews in every city, and 
take away whatever belonged to them. Therefore Esther came 
again to the king, though he had not called for her, and she fell 
down at his feet and wept there. Then the king held out the 
golden sceptre toward her. So she arose and stood before him, 
and begged that the decree of Haman might be changed, for, she 
said, How can I bear to see my people perish? 

Now the king himself could not change the decree which he 
had allowed Haman to make, because, as we have read, no law, 
nor decree, of the Medes and Persians might ever be changed. 
But king Ahasuerus told Esther and Mordecai that they might 
make another decree concerning the Jews, such an one as should 
please them, and might seal it with the king's ring. Then Mor- 
decai called, the king's scribes together, and commanded them to 
write another decree, saying, That the Jews had permission, on 
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, to gather themselves 
together in every city, and to slay and destroy all who should 
try to harm them. 

And Mordecai sent copies of this decree to the different 
provinces of the kingdom, by messengers on horseback, and by 
riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries. And the 
messengers went out in haste, according to the king's command, 
for the decree was made at Shushan, the palace. And 
Mordecai, after he had done talking with the king, came out 
from the palace clothed in royal garments, such as the king him- 
self wore, of blue and white, and with a crown of gold upon his 



480 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



head. All the people of Shushan were glad, and everywhere 

the Jews were filled with joy, and they feasted and were happy. 

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month the Jews took 

their swords, and gathered themselves together in every city, to 




A MESSENGER RIDING A SWIFT CAMEL 



fight for their lives; and they gained the victory over all who 
came out against them. But on the fourteenth and fifteenth 
days they rested from fighting against their enemies. So God 
saved Esther and her people from those who had hoped to de- 
stroy them. Then Esther and Mordecai sent letters to all the 
Jews, telling them to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of 
the twelfth month, every year, as a time of feasting and glad- 
ness, when they should rejoice together, and give presents to one 
another and gifts to the poor. Because at that time they had 
been saved from their enemies, and their sorrow and mourning 
had been turned into joy. 



THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 481 



THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 

NEHEMIAH IS SENT TO BUILD UP THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM. THE PEOPLE 
BEGIN TO BUILD, AND ARE OPPOSED BY THEIR ENEMIES. THE POOR JEWS 
COMPLAIN AGAINST THE RICH. THE WALL IS FINISHED AND DEDICATED. 
EZRA TEACHES THE PEOPLE. 

It had now been ninety years since Zerubbabel, and those who 
were with him, went up to Jerusalem. Artaxerxes was king 
over Persia, and Nehemiah, a Jew, was his cup-bearer, who 
carried his wine-cup to him when he wanted to drink. While 
Nehemiah was in the palace at Shushan, some men came there 
from the land of Judah; and Nehemiah asked them about the 
Jews in that land, and about Jerusalem. The men told him 
that the Jews were in great affliction; that the walls of Jeru- 
salem were still in ruins, and that the gates of the city had 
never been set up. 

When Nehemiah heard this he wept. And he fasted and 
prayed for the Jews: he prayed also that God would make 
king Artaxerxes willing to do what he should ask of him; for 
Nehemiah was going to ask the king to send him to Jerusalem, 
that he might build up the walls of the city, and help the Jews 
who were there. 

After this, as king Artaxerxes was sitting one day in his 
palace, Nehemiah took the wine-cup and handed it to him to 
drink. And Nehemiah looked sad; the king noticed it, and 
said to him, Why is thy face sad, seeing thou are not sick? 
Surely thou hast some sorrow in thy heart. Nehemiah answered, 
Let the king live forever: should I not look sad while Jeru- 
salem, the city where my fathers are buried, is left without 
walls, and its gates are burned with fire? The king said to 
him, What dost thou ask of me ? What is thy request ? At 
first Nehemiah did not answer, but silently, in his heart, he 
prayed again that God would make the king willing to do what 
he should ask. Then he answered the king, saying, If it 
please thee, I pray thou wilt send me to Jerusalem, that I 
may build up its wall. The king said (while the queen was 
sitting by him;, How long will thy journey take thee ? And how 
31 



482 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



soon wilt thou return? When Nehemiah had told him, the 
king gave him permission to go. 

And Nehemiah said, If it please the king, let letters be 
given me to the governors of the provinces through which I 
shall pass, telling them to help me; and a letter also to the 
keeper of the king's forest which is near Jerusalem, that he may 
give me timber to make beams for the walls and gates of the 




NEHEMIAH FINDS THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM BROKEN DOWN 

city. And the king gave the letters, because the Lord made 
him willing, in this thing also, to do as Nehemiah asked him. 
Then Nehemiah started on his journey, and the king sent sol- 
diers and horsemen with him to guard him by the way. When 
he came to the governors of the provinces that were near to the 
land of Judah, he gave them the letters which the king had 
sent. Now there were with the governors two wicked men, 
named Sanballat and Tobiah, who were enemies to the Jews. 



THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 483 

When they heard, therefore, that the king had sent a man to 
help the Jews, it grieved them exceedingly. 

But Nehemiah came safely to Jerusalem. After he had been 
there three days, he rose up secretly in the night, so that his 
enemies might not know it, and went out to examine the walls 
of the city, to see if what had been told him about them were 
true ; and he found that it was true, for they were broken down 
and in ruins. Afterward he spoke to the people, saying, You 
see the danger and distress we are in, with no walls to guard 
us. Come, let us build them up, that we be no longer afraid of 
our enemies. Then he told the Jews of the kind words that 
the king had spoken to him. And they said to one another, 
Let us rise up and build. So they began to build the walls.' 
The priests, the Levites, the people, and even some of the 
women of Israel, helped in the work. 

But when Sanballat heard of it, he was angry, and mocked 
them, saying, What are these weak Jews doing? will they try 
to build a wall around Jerusalem ? And where will they find 
stones enough among the heaps of rubbish that were left by 
their enemies, after they had burned the city ? Then Tobiah, 
who was with Sanballat, answered him, saying, Such a wall as 
they can build, even a fox, if he should go up on it, would 
break down. But the Jews went on with the work, till they 
had built the wall up to half of its height all around the city, 
and the two ends of it were joined together. 

Then Sanballat, and Tobiah, and all the enemies of the Jews, 
spoke secretly to one another, and said, We will go and fight 
against them; but we will go suddenly, so that they may not 
know we are near, until we come among them and slay them, 
and cause the work to cease. But the Jews were told of their 
coming; and Nehemiah set the men of Israel behind the wall, 
with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And he said to 
them, Be not afraid; remember that the Lord will help you. 
Fight, therefore, for your wives, your children, and your homes. 
When their enemies heard that the Jews had made ready for 
them, they did not come against the city. 

After that, half of the men of Israel worked on the wall, 



4§4 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



while the other half watched, with swords, and spears, and bows. 
Even those who were building, carried their swords with them. 
And Nehemiah kept a trumpeter near him, whom he commanded 
to blow on his trumpet if their enemies should come in sight. 
For, he said, the wall is very long, and while we are at work we 
are separated far from one another. Therefore, so soon as you 
shall hear the sound of the trumpet in any place, make haste to 




REBUILDING THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM 



help the men who are there. So the people labored in the work 
from morning till evening. And neither Nehemiah, nor the 
men who were with him, took off their clothes, by day or by 
night, except when they took them off for washing. 

Now about this time the Jews had trouble among themselves. 
For some of those who were poor, complained against the rich. 
We and our children are many, they said, and we have had to 



THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 485 

buy bread, and to pay the king's tribute money also. To do 
this, we were forced to borrow money; yes, and even to sell our 
children for slaves. And now the rich men, who lent us money, 
have taken away our lands and our vineyards, and we have noth- 
ing left. Neither are we able to buy back our children, that we 
may bring them to their homes again. Yet we are Jews as well 
as the rich princes and rulers who have taken our lands from us, 
and we love our children as much as they love theirs. 

When Nehemiah heard what the poor Jews said, he was 
angry, and called all the people together; and he spoke to 
the princes and rulers before them, saying, You do wrong to 
your poor brethren, and are cruel to them. Give back to 
them, I pray you, this day, their houses, their lands, and their 
vineyards; and also the money, the corn, the wine, and the 
oil that you are taking from them. The princes and rulers 
answered him, saying, We will do what thou dost command. 
Then Nehemiah called the priests, and made the princes and 
rulers promise them, before the Lord, that they would surely 
do as they had said. 

Now when Sanballat and Tobiah heard that Nehemiah, and 
the men of Israel, were still at work on the wall, and that it 
was built up all around the city, they were afraid to go into 
Jerusalem. So they sent word to Nehemiah, saying, Come 
down to one of the villages on the plain, and meet us there, 
for we wish to talk with thee. But Nehemiah knew that they 
wanted only to do him harm. So he sent messengers back 
to them, saying, I am doing a great work, and I cannot come 
down. Ought I to leave that work, and cause it to cease, 
while I go and talk with you ? Yet these men sent to him four 
times, asking him to come; and Nehemiah answered them 
each time in the same way. 

Then Sanballat sent his servant again, with a letter in his 
hand. The letter said, Some persons have told me that the 
Jews who are in Jerusalem are going to rebel against the king 
of Persia, and that thou dost want to make thyself their king, 
and therefore thou art building up the wall around the city. 
Now before the king of Persia shall hear of this, thou hadst 



4 8<5 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

better come out and talk with me about what thou hast done. 
But Nehemiah sent an answer to Sanballat, saying, The things 
thou speakest of are not true, and thou knowest they are not; 
thou art only pretending them out of thy own evil heart. Then 
Nehemiah prayed to the Lord to help him, so that the work 
on the wall should not be stopped by his enemies. 

When Sanballat and Tobiah found that they could not per- 
suade Nehemiah to come out of Jerusalem, they hired a man in 
the city to try and deceive him, and make him afraid. The 
man's name was Shemaiah. He shut himself up in his house 
and pretended that the Lord had spoken to him, and sent a mes- 
sage by him to Nehemiah. And Nehemiah went to his house 
and talked with him; and Shemaiah said, Come, let us go into 
the temple and shut to the doors, for thy enemies are coming to 
slay thee; yes, in the night they are coming to slay thee. But 
Nehemiah answered him, saying, Ought a man who is doing 
work for the Lord, to leave that work unfinished and flee ? And 
who that knows he is obeying the Lord, as I do, would go into 
the temple and hide there to save his life? I will not go in. 
For Nehemiah saw that the Lord had not spoken to Shemaiah 
at all, but that Sanballat and Tobiah had paid that wicked man 
to tell him an untruth. Then Nehemiah prayed to the Lord 
that he would remember how Sanballat and Tobiah were trying 
to stop him in his work, and that the Lord would not let them 
succeed. 

So Nehemiah and the people kept on working at the wall, 
and they finished it in fifty-two days. Afterward they dedicated 
it. The priests, the Levites, and the people went up on the top 
of it in two great companies. One company went one way, and 
the other went the other way. And they walked around the 
city, on the top of the wall, with trumpets and harps, singing 
praises, until they met. Then they came down from the wall 
and marched together up to the temple, and offered sacrifices 
there with joy and gladness. So the wall was dedicated, or 
given to the Lord, that it might be his, to guard his temple and 
his people from their enemies. 

And Nehemiah set rulers over the city, and said to them, Let 



THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 



487 



the gates be shut at night, and not opened in the morning till 
the sun has risen high up in the heavens. And cause the men 
of the city to watch upon the walls, every one taking his turn 
there, to guard against our enemies. 

We have read that while the children of Israel were in the wil- 
derness, the Lord commanded silver trumpets to be made for the 
priests to blow when they were about to start on their journeys. 




THE PEOPLE MARCH ON THE WALL IN TWO GREAT COMPANIES 



These trumpets were to be blown also at the coming of the new 
moon, or on the first day of each month. But on the first day 
of the seventh month, the trumpets were to be blown and all the 
people were to meet together to worship. No work was to be 
done on that day, and the children of Israel were to hold a feast 
to the Lord; it was called the Feast of Trumpets. 

And now the first day of the seventh month having come, the 
people met together to worship, as the Lord commanded. And 
they asked Ezra, the priest, to bring out of the temple the book 



4&8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of the law which Moses had written. Then Ezra brought out 
the book, and he stood on a pulpit of wood, where all the people 
could see him, for he was above them all. And he opened the 
book before them and read out of it to the men, the women, and 
the children, from morning till noon; and the priests and Le- 
vites explained what was read. 

When the people heard the words of God's law, and remem- 
bered how often they had disobeyed it, they were troubled and 
wept. But the Levites said to them, Do not weep, for this is the 
day for a feast to the Lord, when you are to be glad, and to thank 
him. Go, therefore, to your homes, and eat and drink of the 
good things which he has given you, and send some of those 
things to the poor, who have none of their own. So all the 
people went away to eat, and drink, and send gifts to the poor, 
and to be glad and rejoice ; because the Lord was kind to them, 
and because they had understood the words that were read to 
them out of his law. 

The next day they came to Ezra again, that he might teach 
them still more. And he read out of the book, that God com- 
manded them to keep the feast of tabernacles that same month. 
Go up, the book said, on the mountains, and cut down olive 
branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and make 
booths. So the people went up and cut branches from the trees, 
and made themselves booths on the flat roofs of their houses, in 
their yards, in the courts of the temple, and in the streets of 
Jerusalem; and they all came out of their houses, and lived in 
the booths" for the seven days of the feast. And there was great 
joy and gladness among them ; because no such feast had been 
kept in Jerusalem for hundreds of years. 

And yet, although the people kept the feast and rejoiced, 
because the Lord was so good to them, they did not forget that 
they had often disobeyed him, and that he was still punishing 
them for their sins. Therefore on the twenty-fourth day of the 
month they met together again, to fast and confess their sins to 
him, and they put on sackcloth to show their grief. 

Then some of the Levites stood up before them, and prayed, 
saying, Remember, we pray thee, O Lord, all the troubles that 



THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH 



489 



have come upon us since the time when we were carried away 
captives, until this day. Yet it was just in thee to punish us, 
and thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly. Therefore 
thou hast given our lands to the Assyrians, and they rule over 
us and our cattle, and do with us as they please, and we are in 
great distress. But now we want to be thy servants; and here 
we promise to obey thee, and we do also write down our promise, 




THE PEOPLE LIVE IN BOOTHS DURING THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES 



and our priests and Levites, and chief men, will sign the writing 
for us with their names, and seal it with their seals. 

Then Nehemiah, the governor, and some of the priests, and 
many of the chief men of Israel, signed the writing which the 
people had made. And the people promised, before the Lord, 
to obey all his commandments; that they would not make friends 
with the heathen nations, nor take wives from among them; 
that they would keep holy the sabbath day; that they would 



49 o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

give a tenth part of all that grew in their fields, to the priests 
and the Levites, and would bring the first of their grain and of 
their fruits, each year, to the temple, as an offering to the Lord. 
All these things the people promised to do. 

After this Nehemiah went back to Persia, as he had promised 
the king. We are not told how long he stayed there, but when 
he returned to Jerusalem, he found that the people had already 
forgotten their promise to obey God's law. They had again 
made friends with the heathen nations around them, and had 
taken wives from among the heathen women; they had ceased 
giving to the priests and the Levites a tenth of their fruit and 
their grain, so that the Levites had gone away from the temple 
to work in the fields, and raise food for themselves. Then Nehe- 
miah was grieved, and he called the priests and Levites back to 
the temple, saying, Why is the house of God forsaken? 

And Nehemiah saw the people loading their asses on the 
sabbath, and bringing their grain in from the fields; they 
brought grapes and figs, and all kinds of burdens into Jeru- 
salem on that day. Then he spoke to the rulers, and said, Why 
do ye so wickedly? Did not God punish our fathers for doing 
these things, by destroying this city? 

On the evening before the sabbath, when it began to grow 
dark, Nehemiah commanded that the gates of the city should 
be shut, and not opened again till the sabbath was past. And 
he set some of his servants to watch that no burden should 
be brought into the city on the sabbath day. Then those men 
who came from other places, with fish, and all kinds of goods, 
to sell on the sabbath, when they found the gates shut, lay 
down outside the walls, and slept there all night. The next 
sabbath they came, and did the same. Nehemiah spoke to 
them, saying, Why do ye lodge before the wall? If ye do so 
again I will take hold of you, and punish you. Therefore 
they came no more on the sabbath. He spoke also to the men 
who had married heathen women, and said, Was not Solomon 
a great and wise king? Yet when he took heathen wives, they 
tempted even him into sin. Shall we then listen to you, when you 
would persuade us to disobey God, and do this great wickedness? 



CONNECTION BETWEEN 
THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS 



HISTORY OF THE JEWS 

FROM THE TIME WHEN THE OLD TESTAMENT ENDS, TO THE 
TIME WHEN THE NEW TESTAMENT BEGINS 

The chapter which we last read ends the Old Testament, and 
the Bible tells us no more about the Jews for over four hun- 
dred years. From other books, we learn that they continued to be 
servants to the king of Persia, for nearly a hundred years after 
Nehemiah returned from Babylon. Then Alexander, a great 
general, who was at war with Persia, brought an army, and took 
Jerusalem, and the Jews served him for nine years. 

After his death they were servants to the kings of Egypt for 
more than a hundred years. Some of these kings treated the 
Jews kindly; but, at last, one of them came to Jerusalem, and 
seeing how beautiful the temple was, determined to go into, 
not only its courts, but even the building itself, where the priests 
alone were allowed to go. The priests begged him not to dis- 
obey God by doing this, and the people cried out with fear and 
sorrow when they saw him enter ; still he went on until he came 
to the holy place. But while he was there, God sent such great 
terror and weakness upon him, that he had to be carried out 
like one almost dead. In his anger at not being permitted to do 
as he wished, he treated the Jews very cruelly, making slaves 
of some, and putting others to death. 

After this the Jews refused to obey the kings of Egypt, and 
served the kings of Syria for over thirty years. The one whom 
they first served, was good to them as long as he lived. But 
after he died, his son, Antiochus, hearing they had rebelled 
against him, came with an army and took Jerusalem, not spar- 
ing the people, but putting both old and young to death. In 
three days forty thousand of them were slain, and as many 
more sold to be captives. The king then went into the temple 
and took away the golden altar, the golden table, the golden 
candlestick, and all the treasures that were kept there. 



491 



492 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Two years afterward, he sent Apollonius, one of his generals, 
with twenty-two thousand men, against Jerusalem. Apollonius 
came into the city, and waiting until the Sabbath-day, when he 
knew the Jews would not fight against him, he set his soldiers 
upon the people, commanding them to kill' the men, to take the 
women and children captive, to rob the houses, and to throw down 
the city walls. The soldiers obeyed his commands, putting so 



■■.■:■ 



■ 




ELEAZAR FORCED TO EAT SWINE S FLESH 



many of the Jews to death, that the streets of the city, and the 
courts of the temple, ran with their blood. 

But, not satisfied with what he had already done to show his 
fury against them, the king of Syria afterward made a decree 
forbidding the Jews to offer up sacrifices to God, or to obey God's 
laws, or to keep the Sabbath day. He sent an officer to Jerusa- 
lem, who drove them away from the temple, and made it a place 
to worship idols in. Heathen altars were set up in every city 
of the land, and the Jews who would not sacrifice upon them 



HISTORY OF THE JEWS 493 

were punished. One of their elders, an old man named Eleazar 
was forced by the king's servants to take swine's flesh into his 
mouth, which the Lord had commanded the Jews not to eat 
When he spat it out he was beaten to death. 

Seven brothers, with their mother, were taken by the king and 
scourged, to make them eat swine's flesh. But the eldest brother 




A MOTHER AND HER SEVEN SONS PUT TO DEATH 



Sttrdiett !1r\ Say i g \ We WD1 not eat of jt ' for ™ would 
rather die than d,sobey the laws of God . Then the king, in great 

"his Zff ? at WS ^° ngUe Sh0UH be CUt ° Ut ' and ^ 

Sin d lw. dS , CUt ° ff ; ^ aftemard that he " be 

burned slowly over a fire as long as there was any life in him 

thevwlw Jh Tt, T d ' the °, ther br ° therS Were asked whe *er 
they would obey the king; and as they refused, were one by one 



494 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



tortured and put to death. When the mother had seen her seven 
sons die, she also was slain. 

There was at this time among the Jews, a family called the 
Maccabees. The father, who was a priest, had five sons. He 
loved the worship of God, and hated the.worship of idols. He 
killed one of the king's servants for setting up an idol's altar 
in the citv where he lived. Then he fled with his sons to the 




THE MACCABEES RECEIVE THEIR FATHER'S BLESSING 



mountains. There many of the Jews came to him, until he had 
gathered around him a little army, with which he fought against 

their enemies. 

But, being an old man, he could not bear the hardships of war, 
and feeling that the time was near for him to die, he called his 
sons to give them his blessing. And he told them not to fear the 
Syrians, but to be brave, and go out to battle against them, trust- 
ing in God, and obeying the words of his law. 

The sons, after their father was dead, obeyed his command. 



HISTORY OF THE JEWS 



495 



They led the people against their enemies and drove them 
away from the temple. Then the Jews came back to the 
temple, and destroyed the idol's altar which the Syrians had 
built; and they cleansed the temple and began to worship 
God there again. After this they gained more victories over 
their enemies, until they were free; and they had kings of their 




THE JEWS DESTROY THE IDOL'S ALTAR IN THE TEMPLE 

own, of the family of the Maccabees, to rule over them for nearly 
a hundred years. 

But now, when God had helped them and made them free 
once more, they forgot him, and, instead of obeying his command 
to love one another, they grew proud and selfish, and had wars 
and battles among themselves. At last while two brothers, the 
sons of their former king, were quarrelling as to which should rule 
over the people, the Romans came with an army and took Jeru- 
salem, and broke down its walls; and the Jews were made 



496 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

servants to the Romans, as they had been before to the Egyp- 
tians, and the Syrians. 

The Romans sent a general, named Herod, to be their king. 
He was not of the children of Israel, yet he pretended to be- 
lieve in their religion and to worship God as they did. He was, 
in truth, a fierce and a cruel man who cared only to be ruler over 
the people, and to keep all the power to himself. That he might 
do this, he put many persons to death, among them his wife and 
two of his own sons. 

After he had been king eighteen years, finding that the Jews 
hated him for his wickedness, he determined to build up the 
temple anew, by doing which he hoped to please them, and make 
them more willing to have him rule over them. The temple, 
which then stood on mount Moriah, was the one built by the Jews 
after they had returned with Zerubbabel from Babylon. It was 
nearly five hundred years old, and much broken and decayed. 
Herod took it down, a part at a time, and built it up again with 
great stones of white marble. These stones he covered, in some 
places, with plates of silver and gold. The building was very 
splendid, and shone so brightly under the morning sun that it 
dazzled the eyes of those who looked on it. 

The inside of the temple was divided, as it had been before, by 
the curtain, called the veil, into two rooms: one of them being 
the holy place, where the golden altar, the golden table, and the 
golden candlestick stood; and the other, the most holy place, 
where the ark used to stand. But the ark had been lost long 
before (as we suppose), when the Jews were carried captive to 
Babylon on account of their sins. They had no ark now to 
bring into the most holy place, and we are told that this was 
empty, except that a stone lay on the spot where the ark should 
have been. 

Outside of the temple was the court, called the court of the 
priests, where the altar of burnt offering and the laver stood. 
And outside of this court was another, called the court of Israel, 
where the men of Israel might come. Beyond this was a third 
court, called the court of the women, because the women of Israel 
might go there. And outside of this, and around all the others, 



HISTORY OF THE JEWS 



497 



was a very large court, called the court of the Gentiles, because 
the Gentiles, that is, the people of other nations beside the Jews, 
were allowed to go into it. 

Nine large and splendid gates opened into these courts; one, 
more splendid than the rest, was called the Beautiful Gate. It 

gate North. 



GATE 



[ 



GATE 



GATE 



GATE 



[ 



o 
< 
pi 
3> 
PI 

a 

•o 
o 
a 
o 

X 



COVERED PORCH 



COURT OF THE GENTILES 
GATE 



COURT of ISRAEL- 



COURT of the PRIESTS 



MOST 
HOLY 
PLACC 



HOLY 
PLACE 



O 1 



COURT of the PRIESTS 



□ a a do 

BOXES TO RECEIVE MONE' 



COURT of ISRAEL 



] 



COURT 

or THE 

WOMEN 



BOIES TO RECEIVE MONEY 
D D DO 



] 



SATE 



GATE 



COURT OFTHE GENTILES 



M 
O 

r 
a 
3 
o 
z 
w 

■o 
o 

•a 
o 



..4 



COVERED PORCH 



GATE GATE 

PLAN OF HEROD'S TEMPLE 



] 



THE 

BEAUTIFUL 

GATE 



East. 



was seventy-five feet high, and covered with Corinthian brass, 
which, at that time, was more costly than silver or gold. Around 
the different courts, walls were built; that around the court of 
the Gentiles was twenty-five feet high. On the inside of this 
wall were wide porches with flat roofs, which rested on marble 
pillars, so large that three men with their arms stretched out 
could hardly reach around one of them. The floor of the 
porches was paved with different colored marble. One of the 
porches was called Solomon's, because it stood over a very 
high wall which Solomon had built up from the valley below. 
These porches made a beautiful covered walk for the people, in 
hot or stormy weather; while in pleasant weather they could go 
upon their flat roofs, from which they had a view of the temple, 
the city, and the mountains that were around Jerusalem. 

The Jews did not go into the temple itself to worship; only 



32 



4 q8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

the priests were allowed to go there. The people worshipped 
in the courts of the temple, and when they said they were going 
up to the temple, they meant they were going up to its courts. 
The way up to these, on the top of mount Moriah, was by high 
flights of steps. 

Herod had eighteen thousand men at work on the temple and 
its courts, and it took him over nine years to build them. 



END OF CONNECTION BETWEEN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS 




THE GOSPELS 



MATT. II (2). LUKE I, II (1, 2) 

THE BIRTHS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST AND OF JESUS. THE ANGELS APPEAR 
TO THE SHEPHERDS. WISE MEN FROM THE EAST COME TO BETHLE- 
HEM. HEROD SLAYS THE CHILDREN THERE. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 

JESUS ATTENDS THE PASSOVER. 

And now the time was near for the Saviour to come upon 
earth. We have read how God promised, when Adam and 
Eve first sinned in the garden, that a Saviour should come. 
We have read also how the prophets, who lived afterward, told 
the children of Israel that he was coming. But before he came, 
they said, John the Baptist would be sent to tell the people to 
make ready for him by repenting of their sins. 

499 



500 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

While Herod was king in Judea, there lived a priest named 
Zacharias. His wife was named Elizabeth. They were both 
of them old, and the Bible tells us, were righteous and care- 
ful to obey all God's commandments. But God had never 
given them a child. 

Zacharias belonged to the company of priests which was 
called the company, or course, of Abia, for the priests were 
still divided into different courses, or companies, as king David 
had divided them. There were twenty-four of these courses. 
Each one took its turn in staying for a time, at the temple, 
to attend to God's worship there. 

Very early every morning, before it was light, the priests at 
the temple began the work of the day. Some of them went to 
the altar of burnt offering, and cleaned it, taking away the 
ashes that had been left there from the day before, and putting 
fresh wood on the fire, which was never allowed to go out. 
Other priests went into the temple, and trimmed the lamps 
on the golden candlestick, and cleaned the golden altar of 
incense. Afterward one of the priests offered up a lamb on the 
altar of burnt offering, and another burned incense on the golden 
altar. The lamb was offered up, and the incense burned, 
about nine o'clock in the morning, and again about three o'clock 
in the afternoon. These were called the hours of prayer. At 
these hours the people came up to the temple to worship, and 
stood in the court, praying, while the incense was burning in 
the holy place. 

Every day, before the priests began their work, lots were cast 
for them, to see what part of the work, or service, each one was 
to do. On the day we are reading about, the part of Zacharias 
was to burn incense on the golden altar; therefore he went into 
the holy place, to burn incense at the hour of prayer. 

And while he was in the temple, he saw an angel standing 
beside the golden altar. When he saw him he was afraid. But 
the angel said, Fear not, Zacharias, for God will give to thee and 
thy wife, Elizabeth, a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 
He shall not drink wine, nor any strong drink, and shall be filled 
with God's Holy Spirit from the time he is born. He shall tell 



THE GOSPELS 



SO T 




THE ANGEL APPEARS TO ZACHARIAS IN THE TEMPLE 



the children of Israel of the Saviour who is coming, and shall 
teach many of them to repent of their sins and obey him. Then 
Zacharias said to the angel, But how shall I know that these 
things will be? The angel answered, I am the angel Gabriel. 



502 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



I live in heaven and stand before God, to do whatever he 
commands me, and he has sent me to tell thee this good news. 
But now, because thou hast not believed it, thou shalt be pun- 
ished by being dumb and unable to speak until the words I 
have spoken come true. 

And the people, who were waiting in the courts of the temple 
for Zacharias to come out of the holy place, wondered what 



... :v : .* , • ■ : ...: 




» 



THE ANGEL APPEARS TO MARY 



kept him so long. When he came they saw that he could not 
speak. But he made them understand, by signs, that he had 
seen a vision. 

Six months after this, God sent the angel Gabriel into the city 
of Nazareth, to a young woman named Mary. She was a cousin 
of Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias, and was descended from 
king David. When Mary saw the angel she was troubled, for 
she knew not why he had come. But he said, Fear not, Mary; 



THE GOSPELS 



5°3 



for God has greatly blessed thee. Thou shalt have a son, and 
shalt call his name JESUS. He shall have no father upon earth, 
but shall be the Son of God. And God will make him king over 
those who love him, forever. To thy cousin Elizabeth, also, 
God has promised a son. Mary answered the angel, saying, I 
am the servant of the Lord, let it be done to me as thou hast 
said. And the angel departed from her. 




THE NAMING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 



Then Mary made haste and went into the land of Judah, to 
the house of Zacharias and Elizabeth, to visit her cousin, and 
she stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Afterward she 
came back to her own home. Now Mary's husband was named 
Joseph. He also was descended from king David; yet they 
were both poor, and Joseph was a carpenter. 

And God gave to Zacharias and Elizabeth the son he had 
promised them. When the child was eight days old, their 



504 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

neighbors and relations came together, to dedicate, or give him 
to the Lord, and also to decide what his name should be. And 
they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. But 
his mother said, Not so; he shall be called John. They said to 
her, None of thy relations are called by this name. And they 
made signs to his father, asking what he would have him called. 
He asked for a writing table, because he could not yet speak, 
and wrote, saying, His name is John. Then they were all 
astonished; for Zacharias had not yet told them that the angel 
had given him this name in the temple. 

As soon as Zacharias had written these words, God gave him 
power to speak again; and he spoke, and praised God. All 
the people in that part of the land heard of what had been 
done, and they said, What sort of a child shall this be? And 
the boy grew, and the Lord blessed him. He lived in the 
lonely wilderness, away from the rest of the people, until he was 
a man, and the time had come for him to preach to the Jews and 
tell them about Jesus. For this little child, whom God had given 
to Zacharias and Elizabeth, was John the Baptist. 

We have read that the Jews were servants to the Romans: 
they had to obey whatever the emperor of Rome commanded. 
And now he made a decree that all the Jews should be enrolled, 
or have their names written down, and he commanded each one 
of them to go to the city where his fathers had lived, so that the 
Roman officers might take down his name there. Therefore 
every one went to his own city. And Mary, with Joseph, her 
husband, went out of Nazareth, where their home was then, to 
Bethlehem, where David used to live, because they were de- 
scended from king David. When they came to Bethlehem, there 
was no room for them at the inn: it was already full, and they 
went into the stable to sleep. And while they were there, God 
gave to Mary the son which the angel had promised her. It was 
in the stable at Bethlehem that the infant Jesus was born. And 
Mary, his mother, wrapped him round with swaddling clothes, or 
bands, and laid him in a manger. 

There were in that country shepherds, who stayed out in the 
field watching over their flocks all night. And the angel of the 



COPVU 




THE ANGEL SPEAKS TO THE SHEPHERDS 



THE GOSPELS 



505 



Lord came down to them, and a bright light shone around them, 
and they were afraid. But the angel said, Fear not, for I 
bring you good news which shall give joy to all people. Be- 
cause there is born for you this day, in the city of David, a 
Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this is the way you shall 
know him: You shall find him wrapped in swaddling clothes, 




THE SHEPHERDS COME TO SEE THE INFANT SAVIOUR 

and lying in a manger. When the angel had said this, sud- 
denly there was a multitude of angels with him, who praised 
God, saying, Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men. 

After the angels had gone from them up into heaven, the 
shepherds said one to another, Let us go now to Bethlehem, and 
see these things of which the angel has told us. And they came 
with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in 



5 o6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

a manger. And they saw the child, and afterward went out 
and told others what the angel had said to them about him. 
All whom they told wondered at what they said. Then the 
shepherds returned to their flocks again, praising God for what 
they had seen and heard. 

When the babe was eight days old, his parents called his name 
Jesus, as the angel had commanded ; and they dedicated him to 
the Lord. For although he was the Son of God, yet he came 
on the earth to be like one of us, and to set us an example in 
all things, of what we ought to do. 

After this Joseph and Mary brought him to Jerusalem, and 
took him to the temple, and offered up a sacrifice of turtle- 
doves, or young pigeons. There was a man in Jerusalem named 
Simeon. He was a good man, who feared God, and who was ex- 
pecting Jesus to come into the world because of what the prophets 
had written about him. The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon 
that he should not die until he had seen Jesus. And now the 
Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple, and when Joseph and 
Mary brought in the child, Simeon took him up in his arms, 
and said, Now, Lord, thy promise has come true, and I can die 
in peace, because I have seen the Saviour. 

And there was a woman named Anna, a prophetess. She was 
a widow of great age, who lived near to the temple, so that 
she might worship there day and night. While Simeon was 
speaking, she also came into the temple where Jesus was, and 
thanked God because he had let her see him. Then she went 
out, and spoke of him to others who were looking for the coming 

of the Saviour. 

And there came to Jerusalem wise men from some far off 
eastern country, who asked the people, saying, Where is he that 
is born to be king of the Jews ? for we have seen his star in the 
sky, and are come to worship him. God had sent a star that 
shone over the land where these wise men lived, so they might 
know that Jesus was born; and they had come to Jerusalem seek- 
ing him. But when they reached there they did not see Jesus; 
therefore they asked the people where they might find him. 

Herod heard what they said, and was troubled because they 



THE GOSPELS 



507 



called Jesus, King. He was afraid that the child which was 
born, might some day be made king over Judea instead of 
himself. Therefore, he also wanted to know where Jesus was. 
And he gathered together some learned men who he knew had 
studied the Scriptures, and asked them to tell him where Christ 
should be born. They answered, In the city of Bethlehem, for 
so the prophet has said. Then Herod called the wise men to 




THE WISE MEN BRINGING PRESENTS TO JESUS 



him, and sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and look dili- 
gently for the young child, and when you have found him, 
bring me word, that I may come and worship him also. But 
he said this, not because he wanted to worship Jesus: it was 
because he wanted to put him to death. 

After Herod had spoken to them, the wise men departed from 
Jerusalem, and went toward Bethlehem. And as they went, the 
star, which they had seen in their own land, appeared to them 



5 o8 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



again. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy, for 
it moved on before them, and showed them the way, till it came 
and stood over the house where the young child was. Then they 
went into the house and saw the young child, with Mary, his 
mother, and they bowed down and worshipped him. 




THE ANGEL WARNS JOSEPH TO FLEE INTO EGYPT 



In those days, persons who came to visit kings, brought 
presents with them. So the wise men brought presents for Jesus, 
of such things as were precious in the country where they lived. 
And when they had opened these things, they gave to him gifts 
of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. But God spoke to them in 
a dream, and commanded them not to go back to Herod ; there- 
fore they returned to their own country by another way. 

When Herod found that the wise men had disobeyed him, he 
was very angry, and sent his servants to Bethlehem and slew all 



THE GOSPELS 



509 



the little children there, that were two years old or younger, for 
he hoped that among them Jesus would be slain. But before 
Herod's servants came, the angel of the Lord told Joseph to 




THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT 



take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt. And 
Joseph arose in the night and fled into Egypt; and he stayed 
there till Herod was dead. Then the angel spoke to him again, 
saying, Arise, and go back into the land of Israel, for they are 
dead who sought to destroy the young child. And Joseph did 
as the angel commanded, and he and Mary and the young child 
came and lived in the city of Nazareth. 

Joseph and Mary used to go every year to Jerusalem, to keep 
the feast of the passover; and when Jesus was twelve years old, 
he also went with them. After the days of the feast were ended, 
they started on their journey back to Nazareth. Now people 
who went to the passover, used to travel in companies; friends 



5i° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



and neighbors would go up to Jerusalem together : some of them 
rode on mules and horses, perhaps, but many of them walked all 
the way. It was with such a company as this that Joseph and 
Alary started to return to Nazareth, and they thought that Jesus 
was among those who journeyed with them. So they went on 
till evening; then they looked for him, but could not find him. 
Therefore they left the company they journeyed with, and went 




JESUS IN THE TEMPLE TALKING WITH THE DOCTORS 

back to Jerusalem. They had been one day in coming to the 
place where they missed him; it took them one day more to go 
back to Jerusalem, but on the next, or the third day, they found 
him at the temple, talking with the doctors, or wise men, hear- 
ing what they said, and asking them questions. 

And all who heard Jesus were astonished at the words that 
he spoke, for he was only a child, but those whom he talked 
with were men of great learning. And his mother said to him, 



THE GOSPELS 51 1 

Son, why hast thou treated us so ? Thy father and I have sought 
thee, sorrowing. He answered, Why have you looked for me? 
Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business? 
He meant that he must be doing what his Father in heaven had 
sent him on earth to do. For God had sent him to teach men, 
and explain the Scriptures to them, before he should die on 
the cross for their sins. Joseph and Mary did not under- 
stand what he meant by the words that he spoke to them, but 
his mother kept these sayings in her heart. 

Then Jesus returned with his parents to their home in the 
city of Nazareth, where he lived with them, and obeyed what 
they said to him. And as he grew, God blessed him, and 
those who were with him loved him. 



MATT. Ill, IV, XIV (3, 4, 14). MARK I, VI (1, 6). LUKE 

III, IV (3, 4). JOHN I-IV (1-4) 

JOHN PREACHES IN THE WILDERNESS; HE BAPTIZES JESUS, WHO IS AFTER- 
WARD TEMPTED BY SATAN. JESUS TURNS WATER INTO WINE. HE 
DRIVES THE TRADERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE. HE TALKS WITH NICODEMUS. 
JOHN IS PUT TO DEATH. JESUS COMES TO NAZARETH. 

After what we have read in the last chapter, the Bible tells 
us nothing more about Jesus, nor about John the Baptist, for 
many years. During those years, while Jesus was living with 
his parents in the city of Nazareth, he grew up to be a man. 
The people did not know that he was the Son of God, and 
John the Baptist had not yet preached to them about him. 
John was still living in the wilderness. His clothes were made 
of the coarse hair that grows on the back of the camel, and 
were fastened around his waist by a girdle, or belt of leather. 
He had for his food the insects called locusts, which he found 
out in the wilderness, and the honey which the wild bees left 
among the rocks and in the hollow trees. 

But now the time had come for John to preach to the people, 
and God commanded him to go and tell them to make ready for 
the Saviour, by repenting of their sins. Then he went into the 
lonely country near to the river Jordan, and a great multitude 
came there to hear him. And he preached to them, and told 



5*2 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



them that the Saviour, who had been promised, was soon coming 
among them, and that he would save the righteous, but destroy 
the wicked. The Jews must not think, John said, that their 
sins would be forgiven, because they were descended from a good 




JOHN PREACHING IN THE WILDERNESS 



man like Abraham; they must obey God themselves. And 
many who heard John preach, repented, and were baptized by 

him in the river Jordan. 

Now baptism means, or represents, the washing away ot our 
sins Yet it does not mean that they are washed away by 
the water on our bodies, but by the Holy Spirit sent into our 
hearts. John spoke to the people who came out to hear him, 
and said, I indeed baptize you With water, but the Saviour, who 
is coming after me, is greater than I; he will baptize you with 
the Holy Ghost. John meant to tell the people that although 
he baptized them with water, he could not wash their sins away; 



THE GOSPELS 5 i 3 

but that Jesus, because he had power to send the Holy Spirit 
into their hearts, could really wash away their sins for them. 

Then Jesus came out from his home in Nazareth for John to 
baptize him also. But when John saw him he did not wish to 
baptize him; John said, I have need to be baptized by thee, and 
dost thou come to be baptized by me ? John felt that he had 
need to have his own sins washed away. But Jesus had no sins 
to be washed away; why then should he be baptized? It was 
because he had come on earth to obey all of God's command- 
ments, for us, and in our place, so that if we believe in him 
we may be rewarded for his obedience. 

When John refused to baptize Jesus, Jesus told him that al- 
though he could not understand it now, yet it was right that he 
should baptize him. Then John consented, and went down with 
him into the river Jordan, and baptized him there. And while 
Jesus was coming up out of the water, praying to God, the sky 
above him opened, and there came down from heaven what 
seemed to be a dove, and it lighted on him. It was the Holy 
Spirit that came down in the form of a dove. At the same time 
God's voice spoke out of heaven, saying, This is my beloved 
Son with whom I am well pleased. Jesus was now about thirty 
years of age. And he went out into the wilderness and stayed 
there alone, forty days and forty nights. All that time he ate noth- 
ing, but fasted and prayed to God : and afterward he was hungry. 

We have read how Satan tempted Eve to disobey God, and so 
caused us all to have wicked hearts and be sinners. And now 
when Satan saw Jesus had come to give us new hearts, and make us 
righteous, he thought he would try and prevent him. Therefore 
he went out into the wilderness to tempt Jesus, as he had tempted 
Eve in the garden of Eden. And he came to him and said, If 
thou art the Son of God, change these stones that are lying on 
the ground into bread, so that thou mayest have food, because 
thou art hungry. But Jesus knew why Satan had come, and 
he would not make the stones into bread to obey him. He 
told him it was written in the Bible that we must be more care- 
ful to obey God, and do what is right, than even to get bread 
when we are hungry. 

35 



5H 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Then Satan took Jesus into Jerusalem, and up on to a very 
high part of the temple. And he said to him, If thou art the 
Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written in the Bible that 
the angels shall hold thee up as thou art falling, lest thou be 
dashed against a stone. But Jesus said- it was also written in 
the Bible, that we must not put ourselves in danger, only to try 
whether God will save us from harm. 




SATAN TEMPTS JESUS 



Then Satan set before Jesus his principal temptation. He 
took him up on to a high mountain, and showed him all the 
kingdoms of the world at the same time, with their beautiful 
cities, their mighty armies, and their great riches: and he said 
to him, All these will I give to thee for thine own, if thou wilt 
kneel down and worship me. It was to try and make Jesus do 
this that Satan had come out in the wilderness. 

He cared little whether Jesus turned the stones into bread, or 



THE GOSPELS 515 

cast himself down from the temple. But he cared a great deal 
that Jesus should be willing to obey him, and take him for his 
master. This was the reason why he promised to give him all 
the kingdoms in the world, (though they were not his to give), if 
he would only kneel down and worship him. But Jesus answered 
him, saying, Go from me, Satan, for it is written in the Bible, 
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
serve. When Satan saw that he could not make Jesus obey his 
words, he departed from him, and behold, angels came and 
waited on him. 

Then Jesus returned to the river Jordan where John was. 
When John saw him coming, he said, Behold the Lamb of God! 
He called Jesus the Lamb of God, because he was to be offered 
up as a sacrifice on the cross, as lambs were offered up on the altar. 
And two men who heard John say this, followed Jesus. He 
spoke to them, and took them to the place where he dwelt, and 
one of them, named Andrew, brought his brother Peter also. 
The next day two others, named Philip and Nathaniel, followed 
him. All these men came to Jesus that he might teach them; 
therefore they were his disciples, for a disciple is a person who 
learns something from another. 

Jesus went into the city of Cana, which was in that part of 
the land called Galilee, and there was a marriage in the city. 
The mother of Jesus was there, and both Jesus and his disciples 
were invited to the marriage. And a feast was made ready for 
all who should come. Food was prepared for them to eat, and 
wine for them to. drink; but before the end of the feast, the wine 
was all gone. And when they wanted more, the mother of Jesus 
said to him, They have no wine. Then she said to the servants, 
Whatever he tells you to do, do it. 

Now there were in the house six water-pots made of stone, 
such as the Jews kept to hold water. Jesus said to the servants, 
Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled them up to the 
brim. Then he said, Take some out now, and carry it to the 
chief man of the feast. And when they did so, the water was 
changed into wine. But the chief man, or ruler of the feast, 
did not know that Jesus had changed it into wine, (yet the 



5i6 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



servants knew), therefore, when he tasted of the water that was 
made wine, he called the bridegroom to him and said, Other per- 
sons, when they give a feast, set the good wine on the table first, 
and after men have had enough, they bring out that which is worse ; 




JESUS CHANGES THE WATER INTO WINE 

but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This was the first 
miracle that Jesus did to show his power to the people. And 
when his disciples saw it, they believed that he was the Son of God. 
The time was near for the feast of the passover, and Jesus 
went up to Jerusalem to keep it. When he came to the temple, 
he found in the court of the Gentiles, men who had brought 
oxen and sheep and doves there, to sell for sacrifices; and other 
men who had tables on which were pieces of silver money. This 
money was Jewish money, and was called the half shekel. We 
are told that each Jew gave one of these half shekels to the 
priests, every year, to buy sacrifices with, or whatever else was 



THE GOSPELS 



5i7 



needed at the temple. The men at the tables were money- 
changers; they exchanged, or sold, the half shekels to those 
Jews who wanted to give them to the priests. But Jesus was 
much displeased to find men selling in the court of the temple, 
and he made a scourge, or whip of small cords, and drove them 
all out, and also the sheep and the oxen. Then he poured out 
the changers' money on the ground, and threw down their tables, 




JESUS DRIVES THOSE WHO BUY AND SELL OUT OF THE TEMPLE 



and said to those who sold doves, Take them away ; my Father's 
house is a place for prayer, not a place to buy and sell in. 
And ^ while he was at the feast of the passover, many believed 
on him when they saw the miracles that he did. 

There was a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the 
rulers of the Jews. He came to Jesus in the night, and said to 
him, Master, we know that God has sent thee to teach us what is 
right, for no man could do the miracles that thou doest if God 



5i8 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



were not with him. Jesus answered Nicodemus, and told him, 
that unless he was born again, that is, unless he had a new 
heart, he could not be one of God's children. 

We have read that while the children of Israel were journeying 
through the wilderness they sinned, and -fiery serpents came 
into the camp, and bit them. Then God told Moses to make a 
serpent of brass and lift it up on a pole, and when any one who 




CHRIST AND NICODEMUS 



had been bitten looked at that serpent, he was made well. And 
now Jesus said to Nicodemus, As Moses lifted up the serpent in 
the wilderness, so must I be lifted up. Jesus meant that he was 
to be lifted up on the cross, that we might look up to him, and 
be forgiven our sins. For, he said, God loved us so much, that 
he sent his only Son into the world to die for us, so that who- 
ever looked up to him in faith, should not be punished, but 
forgiven and taken to heaven. 



THE GOSPELS 



5i9 



Now Herod, who slew the little children in Bethlehem, was 
dead, and his son Herod was ruler over that part of the land 
called Galilee. This Herod, like his father, was a wicked man. 
He had married Herodias, his brother's wife, while his brother 
was yet alive. When John the Baptist told Herod that this was 
wrong, the woman, whose name was Herodias, was angry, and 




THE BURIAL OF JOHN THE BAPTIST 



would have persuaded Herod to kill him, but she could not. 
For Herod was afraid to kill John, because he had heard him 
preach, and knew that he was a holy man. Yet to please Hero- 
dias, he took John and bound him, and shut him up in prison. 
While John was in prison, Herod, on his birthday, made a great 
feast for the lords, high captains, and chief men of Galilee. 
And Salome, the daughter of Herodias, came in and danced 
before them. Then Herod was greatly pleased with her, and 



520 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

said, Ask of me whatever thou wilt, and it shall be given thee, 
even to the half of my kingdom. 

And Salome went to her mother and said, What shall I ask? 
Her mother answered, Ask the king to command that John the 
Baptist's head be cut off, and brought to thee here in a large 
dish. And Salome came back in haste to the king, saying, I 
want thee to give me presently, in a large dish, the head of John 
the Baptist. Then Herod was very sorry, yet because he had 
promised her, and because the men who were with him had 
heard him do so, he would not refuse. And immediately he 
sent one of his soldiers, who cut off John's head in the prison, 
and brought it in a large dish to Salome, and she gave it to 
her mother. When John's disciples heard of it, they came 
and took up his dead body and laid it in a tomb, and went 
and told Jesus. 

Jesus and his disciples went into a part of the land called 
Galilee. On the way there, they came to a city named Sychar. 
Just outside of the city was a well, called Jacob's well, where 
the people came to get water. It was in the hot part of the day, 
and Jesus, being wearied with his journey, sat down by the 
well. His disciples had gone into the city to buy food, and had 

left him alone. 

And a woman came out of the city, carrying her pitcher to 
draw water. Now this woman was a sinner. She did not love 
God in her heart, and had done many things to displease him. 
Jesus knew this, for he sees all our hearts and knows of every- 
thing that we have done. And he talked with the woman, and 
told her of some of the things she had done, long ago, to dis- 
please God. Then she was surprised, and said, Sir, I see thou 
art a prophet. She meant that he was a person whom God told 
of things which other people did not know. And she said to 
Jesus, I know that the Saviour is coming into the world. When 
he comes he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I that 
speak to thee am he. 

Then the woman left her pitcher and made haste back to 
the city, and said to the people, Come and see a man who told 
me all the things that ever I did. Is not this the Saviour? 



THE GOSPELS 



521 



And the people went out and saw Jesus, and begged him to 
come into their city. So he came there and stayed with them 
three days. And they listened to the things that he taught 




JESUS TALKS TO THE WOMAN AT THE WELL 



them. Then they said to the woman, Now we believe on him, 
not because thou didst tell us about him, but because we have 
heard him ourselves, and know that he is the Saviour who has 
come down from heaven. 

From that time Jesus began to teach all the people in the land 
of Israel, telling them that the Judgment day was coming, and 
that they should repent of their sins and believe in him. 

After this he went again to the city of Cana, where he had 
changed the water into wine. And a nobleman who lived in 
another city came to him, and begged him to heal his son who was 
very sick. The nobleman said, Sir, come quickly, before my child 
dies. Jesus said to him, Go to thy house, thy son is made well. 



522 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And the man believed what Jesus said, and left him to go to his 
home. But before he reached there, his servants met him and 
said to him, Thy son is well. He asked at what time he began 
to get better. They answered, Yesterday, at the seventh hour 
the fever left him. Then the man knew that it was at the 
same hour when Jesus said to him, Thy son is made well. And 
the nobleman and all his family believed that Jesus was the Son 
of God. 

The Jews, as we have read, offered up their sacrifices only at 
one place, which was the temple in Jerusalem. But they had 
houses in every city, where they met together to worship, when 
they did not want to offer up sacrifices, or to go to Jerusalem. 
These houses were called synagogues. On the Sabbath days the 
Jews met there to pray and read the Scriptures. Their Scriptures 
were the same as ours, excepting the part called the New Testa- 
ment, which was not written until after Jesus was crucified. 

As they did not yet know how to print, as we do now, they 
used to copy the different books of the Scriptures with pen and 
ink, on rolls of paper, or parchment. These rolls were kept in 
the synagogue, in a box or chest, called the ark, because it was 
shaped like the ark that used to stand in the most holy place in 
the temple. When the people met together in the synagogue 
on the Sabbath day, the chief officer or, as he was called, the 
ruler of the synagogue, sometimes asked one of them to read 
the Scriptures, and speak to the rest. 

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and 
he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. And the 
roll on which was written the book of the prophet Isaiah, was 
handed him, that he might read to the people. When he had 
opened the roll, he read to them from the part where Isaiah 
told the children of Israel of the Saviour, who was coming into 
the world. After he was done reading, Jesus closed the roll 
and sat down; and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue 
were fixed on him. Then he said to them that those words of 
the prophet had come true, and that he was the Saviour, the Son 
of God, of whom Isaiah had spoken. But when he said this, 
all the men in the synagogue were filled with anger, for they 



THE GOSPELS 523 

would not believe that he was the Saviour. And they rose up 
and led him out to the top of a steep hill, on which their city 
was built, that they might cast him down and kill him. But 
Jesus, because he had the power of God, went out from among 
them, and they could do him no harm. 



MATT. IV-XII (4-12). MARK I-III (1-3). LUKE IV-VI 

(4-6). JOHN V (5) 

JESUS TEACHES THE MULTITUDE BY THE SEA-SIDE, CALLS PETER, ANDREW, 
JAMES, AND JOHN TO FOLLOW HIM, PRAYS IN THE WILDERNESS, PREACHES 
THE GOSPEL, HEALS THE LEPER AND THE PARALYTIC, CALLS MATTHEW, 
HEALS THE IMPOTENT MAN, CHOOSES THE TWELVE APOSTLES, PREACHES 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 

Jesus went down to Capernaum, which was a city by the 
sea of Galilee, and great numbers of people came there to 
hear him. As he stood by the sea, they crowded upon him. 
And he saw two boats on the shore, but the fishermen had gone 
out of them and were mending their nets. Then Jesus went into 
one of the boats, which was Peter's, and asked him to push it out 
a little way from the land. And he sat down, and taught the 
people out of the boat. 

When he had done teaching them, he said to Peter and to 
Andrew, his brother, Sail out now on the sea, and let down 
your nets into the water to catch fish. Peter answered, Master, 
we have been laboring all night, and have caught nothing; yet 
at thy command, I will let down the net. When they had done 
this they caught a great multitude of fishes, so that the net 
broke. Then they beckoned to their partners, who were in the 
other boat, by the shore, that they should come and help them. 
And they came, and filled both boats with the fish, until thev 
began to sink. 

When Peter saw the miracle which Jesus had done, he kneeled 
down and worshipped him, saying, I am a sinful man, O Lord. 
For he was astonished, and so were his partners, James and John, 
at the multitude of fishes they had taken. Jesus did this miracle 
so that these men might see it, and believe on him and know 



524 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



that he was the Son of God, because he had chosen them to be his 
disciples, and to go with him wherever he should go. And he 
said to them, Come with me. Then they left their boats and 
their nets and all that they had, and followed him. 

On the Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and 
taught the people. And a man was there who had an evil 
spirit. We have read before of evil spirits— how one of them 




THE NET WAS FILLED WITH FISHES 



went into king Saul, when he cast his spear at David to kill him. 
And this man who was now in the synagogue, had an evil spirit, 
and he cried out to Jesus, saying, Let us alone : what have we 
to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to 
destroy us? I know thee, that thou art the Son of God. Jesus 
said to the evil spirit, Be still, and come out of him. Then the 
spirit threw the man down, and cried with a loud voice, and 
came out of him. All the people who were in the synagogue 



THE GOSPELS 5 2 5 

were astonished, and said among themselves, What does this 
mean ? for even the wicked spirits obey him. 

When they had come out of the synagogue, Jesus went into 
the house where Andrew and Peter lived. James and John also 
were there. And Peter's wife's mother was sick of a fever, and 
they begged Jesus to heal her. Then he stood by her bed, and 
commanded the fever to come out of her. And immediately she 
was made well, and she rose up and waited on them. In the 
evening when the sun had set, the people of the city brought 
many who were sick, and who had evil spirits, to the house 
where Jesus was, and a great multitude were gathered about the 
door. And he healed the sick, and cast out the evil spirits from 
those who had them. 

In the morning, rising up a great while before it was light, 
he went out to a lonely place in the wilderness, and there prayed 
to God. For although he was God's Son, yet he had come on 
the earth to be a man; and while he was on earth, he felt pain 
and hunger and sorrow like men. Therefore he prayed to God 
for help, as men do; and now he went out into the wilderness 
where he would be alone, and prayed there. 

But after he had gone, the people came to Peter's house to 
seek him. Then Peter and the other disciples followed Jesus, 
and when they found him, they said, All the people are seeking 
for thee. Jesus answered, I must go and preach the gospel in 
other cities also. And he went through all Galilee, teaching in 
the synagogues and preaching the gospel to the people. Gospel 
means good news. What good news was it that Jesus preached ? 
It was this: That he had come into the world to be punished 
for our sins, in our place and instead of us; so that, if we repent 
of those sins and believe on him, we shall not be punished at the 
Judgment day, but forgiven and taken up to heaven where we 
shall be happy forever. 

And there came to him a man with the leprosy, who kneeled 
down before him and said, Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make 
me clean. Jesus pitied him, and put out his hand and touched 
him, saying, I will : be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy 
went from him, and he was made clean. Then Jesus sent him 



526 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



away, and commanded him to tell no man who had healed him, 
but to go to the priest at the temple, and offer up a sacrifice, 
as Moses had commanded those persons to do who were cured 
of the leprosy. Yet the man, as soon as he was gone, told all 
the people what Jesus had done for him' 





EASTERN HOUSE-TOP 



Now there were among the Jews some men called Scribes, 
and others called Pharisees, who pretended to be very holy. 
They studied the Scriptures and explained them to the rest of 
the people; but they did not themselves do as the Scriptures 
said. For although they obeyed some of the commandments, 
and were careful not to work on the Sabbath, and made long 
prayers in the synagogues, and even at the corners of the streets, 
yet they did this that others might see them and praise them for 



THE GOSPELS 



527 



doing it. For these men were hypocrites, that is, persons who 
pretended to be good, while in their hearts they were wicked. 
Therefore, when Jesus came, telling them they must repent of 
their sins, and obey God, they hated him, and did all they could 
to keep the people from believing on him. 

Jesus went again into the city of Capernaum; and when the 




JESUS CURES THE MAN WITH THE PALSY 

people heard of it they gathered together at the house where he 
was, and he preached to them there. The houses of the Jews 
were usually square, and but one story high. The roofs were 
flat, with a wall, or railing around them, so that persons might 
safely walk there. In the center of the house was a large square 
room called the court. Over this, the roof was left open, but 
in time of rain, or much heat, an awning or covering of some 
kind, was stretched across the opening. It was into such a house 



528 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



as this that Jesus had now come. And some men brought a 
man who was sick of the -palsy and unable to walk, for Jesus to 
heal him. When they could not come in at the door, on account 
of the crowd, they went up on the roof, (perhaps through the 
next house), and taking off the covering., let the man down on 
his bed or mattress, into the room below, where Jesus was. 

When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he spoke to the 
sick man, saying, Thy sins are forgiven thee. But some of the 
Scribes and Pharisees, who were sitting there, said to them- 
selves, Who is this, that pretends he is able to forgive sins, as if 
he were God? Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, 
Why do you think these things in your hearts? Is it not as easy 




EASTERN BEDS 



for me to forgive this man his sins, as it is to cure him of his 
palsy? But to show you that I have power to forgive sins, I 
will make him well. Then he said to the sick man, Stand up 
on thy feet, and take up thy bed and go to thy house. Imme- 
diately the man rose, stood on his feet, took up his bed, and 
went before them all. The people who saw it were astonished, 
and said, We never saw such things done before. 

We have read that the Jews had to pay taxes, or tribute 
money, to the Romans. There were men in each city who took 
these taxes from the people. They were called publicans. The 
Jews hated them, not only because they took their money for 
the Romans, but also because most of them were unjust and cruel 
men, taking more than was right. Yet the publicans did not all 



THE GOSPELS 



529 



do this. And as Jesus passed by, he saw one of them, named 
Matthew, sitting at the place where the people came to pay him 
the tribute money. Jesus spoke to him, and said, Follow me. 
Then Matthew obeyed, and rising up, left all and followed Jesus. 
From that time he was one of his disciples. 

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to 
Jerusalem. Now there was at Jerusalem, by the sheep gate, a 




JESUS CURES THE SICK MAN AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA 

pool of water called the pool of Bethesda. Around it were built 

five porches, in which lay a great number of persons who were 

sick, or blind, or lame. They waited there, because at certain 

times the water moved, as if some one had stirred, or troubled 

it. And they thought that whoever went into it first, after it 

was troubled, was made well of whatever disease he had. 

And a man was there who had been sick thirty-eight years. 

Jesus saw him, and knowing how long he had been sick, pitied 
34 r 



53° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



him. And he said to him, Wilt thou be made well ? The man 
answered, I have no one, when the water is troubled, to help me 
into the pool; but while I am trying to get down to it, another 
steps in before me, and I am too late. Jesus said to him, Rise, 
take up thy bed, and walk. And imrnediately the man was 
made well, and took up his bed and walked. Now it was the 
Sabbath day. And the Jews, wishing to find fault, said to him, 
It is wrong for thee to carry thy bed on the Sabbath. The man 




JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES WALK THROUGH THE CORN 

answered, He that cured me, told me to take up my bed and 
walk. They asked him, Who is it told thee ? The man said it 
was Jesus. Then did the Jews persecute Jesus and try to kill 
him, saying he had broken the Sabbath day. 

But Jesus talked with them, and told them that the miracles 
which he did, showed that God had sent him, and the prophets 
also he said had spoken about him, though the Jews would 
not believe in him. Yet he said, he was the Son of God, and had 
power to raise the dead, as only God had, and that the hour was 
coming when all who were in their graves should hear his voice, 



THE GOSPELS 



53i 



and come forth. And then he would judge them. Those who 
had done good should be rewarded for their obedience, and 
those who had done evil should be punished for their sins. Be- 
cause his Father had made him the Judge of all men, so that 
all men should worship and obey Jesus, as they worshipped and 
obeyed God. 

Jesus walked on the Sabbath day, with his disciples, through 




JESUS HEALS THE MAN WITH A WITHERED HAND 

the fields of corn. And they, being hungry, picked some of the 
ears, and rubbed out the grains with their hands and did eat 
them. When the Pharisees saw it they found fault, and said 
that the disciples were working on the Sabbath. But Jesus told 
them that he was not to be judged for what he did on that day, 
because he was the Lord, or Master, of the Sabbath. 

On another Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, and a 
man was there whose hand was withered, so that he could not 



532 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

open it or stretch it out. And the Pharisees watched Jesus, to 
see whether he would heal the man on the Sabbath, that they 
might accuse him of doing wrong. But Jesus knew their 
thoughts, and said to them, If one of you have a sheep which 
should fall into a pit on the Sabbath, would you not lay hold of 
it and lift it out? And if it be right to do good to a sheep, 
how much more is it to do good to a man. Therefore I tell 
you it is right to do good on the Sabbath day. Then he said 
to the man, Stretch out thy hand. And he stretched it out, 
and it was made well like the other. 

Then the Pharisees were filled with madness against him, and 
they went out of the synagogue, and talked with one another 
about some way of putting him to death. When he knew of 
it, he left that place, with his disciples, and came to the sea of 
Galilee. And many persons from Jerusalem, and Judea, and 
from countries far off, when they heard of the wonderful works 
that he did, came to him. And those that were sick crowded 
around him, that they might, by only touching him, be made 
well; and he healed them all. 

After this, he went out to a desert place alone, and stayed 
there all night praying to God. When it was morning he called 
his disciples, and chose twelve of them that they might be with 
him, and that he might send them out to preach, and give them 
power also to do miracles, to heal those that were sick, and to 
cast out devils. These twelve he called apostles, which means 
Messengers. They were Peter and Andrew his brother, James 
and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Mat- 
thew the publican, James andLebbeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot. 

And seeing the multitude that followed him, he went up on 
to a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came to 
him, and he taught them there. He told them what persons 
were truly happy; he called them the blessed ones. He said: 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of 

heaven. 

By the poor in spirit, Jesus meant those who are humble 
on account of their sins, and who feel that God only can for- 
give them, and save them from punishment. Jesus called these 



THE GOSPELS 



533 



persons blessed, or happy, because they are the ones whom he 
brings into his kingdom here on earth, and whom he will take 
to live with him in heaven after they die. 

And he said, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be 
comforted. 

To mourn is to weep and lament because we have trouble. It 
is hard to bear trouble, yet if we are troubled on account of 




THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT 



our sins, God is pleased with us and he will take our trouble 
away. 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 

To be meek is to be patient, and not to get angry when others 
insult us, and try to do us harm. When Jesus was on earth, 
wicked men did so to him, but he bore it meekly and patiently! 
And those who follow his example shall inherit, or have for 
their own, the happiest earthly lot. 



534 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, 
for they shall be satisfied, or filled. 

We hunger and thirst after righteousness when we are as anx- 
ious to do right, and to please God, as we are to get food when 
we are hungry, and water when we are thirsty. If we desire to 
do right as much as this, God will help us do it, and we shall 
be satisfied in pleasing him. 

Blessed are those who are merciful to others, for they shall 
have mercy shown to them. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, (that is, those who will not quar- 
rel themselves, and who try to keep others from anger and strife), 
for they shall be called the children of God. 

Jesus told his disciples that when they were treated cruelly, 
and persecuted, for his sake, they should not be sorry, but glad, 
for great would be their reward in heaven. And they were not 
the only ones, he said, who had been treated so. Even the 
prophets, those holy men whom God sent in the old times, were 
treated in the same way. 

And he said to his disciples that they must let their light 
shine ; he meant they must not be afraid to let others know T that 
they loved and obeyed God. Instead of hiding this they must 
let others see it. Then, perhaps by their example, they might be 
led to love and obey God also. For Jesus said that if we do 
the things that God commands, and teach others to do them, we 
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. But if, like the 
Scribes and Pharisees, we only teach those things without doing 
them, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

And he said to the people, Your teachers have told you that 
if you should kill another person, you would be in danger of 
being punished. But I tell you that if you are even angry with 
another, who has done you no harm, you will be in danger' of 
punishment. 

Then he told his disciples that when they were going up to the 
temple to worship God, they must try and remember whether they 
had done wrong to any other person; whether they had taken 
anything that belonged to him, or had said what was not true 



THE GOSPELS 535 

about him, or in any other way had done him harm. And if they 
had, they must go and do what was right to that person. For 
God would not accept, or care for, their worship while there was 
some sin in their hearts that they had not repented of. 

We must be pure and good, Jesus says, in all we do and say, 
and must not even think an impure or bad thought. And if 
the thought that is impure offends God, how greatly will the 
impure word, or act, displease him! 

When others are unkind to us, and do us harm, we must not 
do harm to them again. Instead of this we must do good to 
them, and pray for them, and love them; then, Jesus says, we 
will be the children of our Father in heaven. For he is kind 
even to those who do not obey him or love him. And we must 
try to be like him, perfect in all things. 

And Jesus commanded his disciples to be careful, lest when 
they did what was right, they should do it only for other per- 
sons to see them and praise them. For this was not the reason 
why they should do right, because they wanted to be praised. 
They should do it because they wanted to please God. When 
they gave anything to the poor, they must not go about telling 
it; when they prayed to God, they must not choose a place 
where others could see them, but must go into their chamber 
and shut the door, so that no one but God could see them. 
Then God would answer their prayers. 

And when they should fast, they must not look sad, as the 
hypocrites did, on purpose to let others know they were fasting; 
but they must look as cheerful then as at other times, so that 
no one but their heavenly Father would know it; then their 
heavenly Father would reward them. 

And Jesus said that we must not want to be rich, and to lay 
up a great deal of money in this world, but must lay up riches 
in heaven. He did not mean that we could lay up money in 
heaven. We shall not want any money there. Jesus meant 
that we should be trying all the time to live so that at last we 
shall get to heaven. For in heaven we shall have more things to 
make us happy than all the money in the world could buy. 
Then he said to the people, You cannot obey God and Satan, 



536 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

too. We cannot do this, because if we obey God we will do right, 
but if we obey Satan we will do wrong. Therefore, we cannot 
obey both; and we must choose which one to obey. 

And he told his disciples not to judge other persons; he meant 
that we should be careful how we find fault with others, and blame 
them. For perhaps they never did the thing that we blame them 
for; or even if they did it, did not mean any harm. We can- 
not see their hearts and tell how they felt while they were doing 
it; only God can tell that, and perhaps he does not blame 
them. And how often we ourselves do the very things we 
blame others for doing. Jesus said we should first stop doing 
wrong ourselves, and then we should be able to tell others of 
their faults. 

And he told the people who were listening to him, and he tells 
you and me, that whatever we want other persons to do to us, 
we must do to them. If we want them to treat us kindly and 
justly, we must treat them kindly and justly too. 

And he said, Strive earnestly to go in at the strait, or nar- 
row gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that lead- 
eth to destruction. He meant that the good and the bad ways 
are like two gates in our path, for us to choose which one we 
will go through. The good way is like a small and narrow 
gate, that we cannot see till we look carefully after it. The bad 
way is like a wide gate which stands open directly before us. 
This wide gate leads down to hell, and many go in there. The 
narrow gate leads up to heaven, and there are few who find it. 

Not every one, Jesus said, who called him Lord, or Master, 
would be taken up to heaven, but only those who obeyed his 
Father in heaven. Many persons who had not done this, would 
come to him at the Judgment day, and would call him Lord, 
Lord, and would say they had worked for him, and had taught 
other persons about him. But he would tell them they had 
never truly been his disciples. And he would send them away, 
with all those who had been wicked. 

Then he spoke about two men, who, each of them, built a 
house. One chose a rock to build his upon. When it was 
done there came a great storm, and beat against it. But 



THE GOSPELS 



537 



the rain could not move the rock, nor the wind blow it away; 
therefore his house stood firm, and the storm did it no harm. 
The other man built his house in a place where there was nothing 
but sand. And the storm came against it also. And the rain 
washed the sand away from underneath it, and the wind blew 
against it, and it fell and was destroyed. 




THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK AND THE HOUSE ON THE SAND 

Then Jesus said that all those persons who listened to his 
teaching, and did what he taught them, were like the wise man 
who built his house upon the rock. But those who listened to 
his teaching and would not do as he taught them, were like the 
foolish man who built his house upon the sand. He meant that 
those who obeyed what he taught them, would be saved, but 
those who disobeyed him would be lost. For the two men who 
built the houses meant the righteous and the wicked ; and the 
storm meant the Judgment day. 



538 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

MATT. VIII-XIII(8-13). MARK IV, V (4, 5). LUKE VII, 

VIII-XII (7, 8-12) 

JESUS HEALS THE CENTURION'S SERVANT; RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON; IS 

anointed; is ministered to; speaks the parable of the rich 
pool; tells his disciples not to fear want; the parables of the 
sower, the tares, the mustard seed, the* pearl, and the fisher- 
men. HE STILLS THE STORM, AND HEALS THE DEMONIAC. 

There was at Capernaum, a centurion, or captain in the 
Roman army; he had a servant whom he loved, and who 
was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard that 
Jesus was there, he sent some of the elders of the Jews who 
were his friends, to ask him to come and heal his servant. 
And the elders came and begged Jesus earnestly, saying, 
Although this centurion is not a Jew, but a Roman, yet he 
loves the Jews, and has been kind to us; for with his own money 
he has built us a synagogue. 

Then Jesus went with them toward the centurion's house. 
But before he came there, the centurion sent some more of his 
friends with a message to Jesus: the message was this, That the 
centurion had not come himself to speak with Jesus, because he 
thought he was not good enough. And now he sent word that he 
did not think himself good enough for Jesus even to come into his 
house. But if Jesus would only say that his servant should get 
well, without coming, the centurion was sure that he would get 
well. For I have soldiers under me, the centurion said, and I 
say to one, Go; and he goes where I tell him. To another I 
say, Come; and he comes. So, I know that the disease which 
my servant has, will obey thee and go out of him, if thou wilt 
command it to go. 

When Jesus heard these words he was astonished, and said to 
those who were with him, I have not found any one, even among 
the children of Israel, who has so much faith in me as this Roman 
has. And I tell you that at the last day, many of the people 
of other nations who have believed in me, shall be taken up 
into heaven, while the children of Israel, because they will not 
believe, shall be shut out. And when the centurion's friends 
returned to his house, they found the servant made well. 



THE GOSPELS 



539 



The next day Jesus went into a city called Nain. As he came 
near to the gate of the city, the people were carrying out a dead 
man to bury him. He was the only son of his mother, and she 
was a widow ; and many of her friends were with her. When 
Jesus saw her, he pitied her, and said, Weep not. And he came 
and touched the bier on which the body lay, and those who car- 




JESUS RAISES THE WIDOW'S SON 



ried it stood still. Then Jesus said, Young man, I say unto 
thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak, 
and Jesus gave him to his mother. And all who saw it were 
afraid, and they praised God, and said that he had sent a great 
prophet among them. 

We have read that the people in eastern countries wore sandals 
instead of shoes. These they took off when they came into the 
house, and a servant brought water for them to wash their feet. 



540 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



The people of those countries also used oil, or ointment, to put 
upon their heads and their beards, and sometimes over their whole 
bodies. This was called anointing. They did it because it made 
the skin smooth and soft, and, they thought, kept away disease: 
also because the smell of the ointment was sweet and pleasant. 
Men considered it a kindness to have their heads anointed by 
the person at whose house they were visiting. 




A WOMAN ANOINTS THE FEET OF JESUS 



A Pharisee, named Simon, asked Jesus to his house. Jesus 
went there, and sat down with him to eat. And a woman who 
lived in the city, and who had been a sinner, when she heard 
that Jesus was there, came with an alabaster box of ointment and 
bowed down at his feet. And because she was sorry for her sins, 
and wanted to be forgiven, she wept and washed the feet of Jesus 
with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head ; and 
she kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 



THE GOSPELS S4 i 

Now the Pharisee knew that the woman was a sinner, and he 
said to himself, If this man had come from God, he would know 
what sort of a woman this is, and would send her away : for the 
Pharisees thought themselves too holy to let sinners touch them. 
But Jesus knew what was in his heart, and he said to him, 
Simon, I have something to say to thee. He answered, Master, 
say on. Then Jesus said, Two men owed another man money; 
one owed him a great deal, and the other owed him a little. But 
as neither of them had any thing to pay with, he freely forgave 
them both. Tell me, now, which of them will love him the 
most? Simon answered, I suppose the one whom he forgave 
most. Jesus said, Thou hast answered rightly. And he turned 
to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman ? I 
came into thy house, and thou gavest me no water to wash my 
feet; but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them 
with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss, but this 
woman, since I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head 
with oil thou didst not anoint, but she has anointed my feet 
with ointment. Therefore I say unto thee, her sins which are 
many, are forgiven; for she loved me much, but those who have 
little forgiven, love but little. And Jesus said to the woman, Thy 
sins are forgiven thee, go to thy home in peace. 

After this Jesus went through every city and village preach- 
ing the gospel to the people; and the twelve apostles were with 
him. And he was poor, for though he might have been rich, 
(for everything in the world was his), yet he chose to be poor 
and to suffer for our sakes, to save us from being punished for 
our sins. And because he was poor, some of the women whom 
he had healed of sickness, and out of whom he had cast evil 
spirits, gave to him such things as he needed. One of them was 
named Mary Magdalene, another Joanna, and another Susanna; 
beside these there were many others. 

And he spoke a parable to the people. A parable is a story 
which has a meaning to it, and which helps us to understand 
and remember something we are learning. Jesus told the people 
this parable that they might know how foolish and wicked it 
was for them to put their trust in riches. He said, There was 



542 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



a rich man who had fields and vineyards. When harvest- 
time came, and he gathered in his fruits, there were so many 
that his barns would not hold them. Then he said to himself, 
What shall I do? for I have no room where I can put my 
fruits. And he answered, This will I do. I will pull down 
my barns and build larger ones, and there I will put away all 
my fruits and my goods. Then I will say to myself, Now I 




THE RICH MAN CANNOT FIND ROOM FOR HIS FRUITS 



can eat and drink and be merry, for I have enough riches laid 
up to last me for many years. 

But when the rich man had spoken these words, God said to 
him, Thou foolish man, this night thou must die. Who then 
shall have those things which thou hast laid up for many 
years? So, Jesus said, it will be with all those persons who 
care only to lay up riches for themselves in this world, but do 
not care to please God. Death will come when they are not 
expecting it, and then they will have to leave their riches for 
others, and go away themselves to a world where nothing has 
been laid up for them. 



THE GOSPELS 



543 



And Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid, because they 
were poor, lest they might want food to eat, and clothes to wear. 
Think of the birds, he said; they do not sow seed in the fields, 
nor reap grain and carry it to the barn to lay it up there, yet 
they always have enough to eat, because God feeds them. And 
God cares more for you than he does for the birds. And look 
at the flowers, how they grow. They do not work like men to 
make raiment for themselves, and yet they are more beautifully 




THE RICH MAX COUNTS HIS MONEY 



HE DIES 



clothed and have brighter colors upon them, than Solomon when 
he was king over Israel. If then, God gives such beautiful 
clothing to the flowers, which are of so little value that one day 
they are growing up in the field, and the next are cut down and 
burned, he will be more careful to clothe you, though now you 
are afraid to trust in him. Therefore do not be anxious lest 
you may want things to eat, and to drink, and to wear, for 
your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. But 
seek first to obey him and be his children, and then he will 
give all these things to you. 



544 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

While Jesus walked by the seaside, great multitudes came to 
him, so that he went into a boat and sat down to teach them, 
and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spoke a 
parable, saying, A farmer went out in the field to sow his seed, 
and he scattered it by handfuls over the ground. Some of the 
seed fell upon the hard, beaten path, that ran along by the edge 
of the field, and the birds flew down and ate it. Some fell 
upon stony places, where there was only a little earth. There 
it quickly grew up above the ground; but because there was 
not earth enough to make larger roots, in a few days it withered 
away. And some fell along the side of the field where briars and 
weeds were growing; and the briars grew up and choked it. But 
the rest of the seed fell upon good ground that had been ploughed 
and made ready to receive it. And the rain fell on it and watered 
it there, and the sun shone upon it, and it sprang up and bore 
grain, a hundred times as much as the farmer had planted. 

When Jesus was alone, his disciples came and asked him to 
explain this parable to them. He answered, that the seed meant 
the words which he preached. Some of the people who heard 
those words did not understand what he said, nor care to remem- 
ber them. Then Satan came and made them think of other 
things, and took his words out of their hearts as quickly as the 
birds ate up the seed that fell on the pathway. And some who 
heard him, remembered his words and tried for a little while to 
obey them. But it was only for a little while. As soon as they 
had trouble, or were blamed by others for doing it, they ceased 
trying and forgot them. This is the seed that fell on the stony 
ground, and that sprang up at first, but in a few days withered 
away. And some heard Jesus preach, and were glad to hear what 
he said, but afterward they went away and paid more attention 
to their houses, their riches, and their pleasures, than they did 
to the things he had taught them. This was the seed that fell 
among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But there 
were some who listened to all that he taught, and remembered it 
in their hearts, and tried every day to do as he told them. This 
was the good seed that took root and grew, and bore a hundred 
times as much as the farmer had planted. 




35 



AN ENEMY SOWS TARES 



545 



546 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



And Jesus spoke another parable about a man who sowed seed 
in his field. But while his servants were asleep, an enemy came 
and sowed tares, or weeds, among the wheat, and then went 
away so that the servants knew nothing of it. When the time 
had come for the wheat to grow up, the .servants went out in the 
field to look at it, and there they saw tares growing among the 
wheat. Then they came back to the owner of the field and said 




THE REAPERS BURN THE TARES 



to him, Was it not good seed that was sowed in the field ? Why 
then are tares growing among the wheat? He answered, An 
enemy has done this. Then the servants asked, Shall we not 
go and pull up the tares? He said, No, lest while you pull up 
the tares, you root up the wheat also with them. Let both grow 
together until harvest ; and then I will say to my reapers, Gather 
together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, 
but gather the wheat into my barn. 



THE GOSPELS 547 

And Jesus explained this parable also to his disciples. The 
field, he said, meant the world, the owner of the field meant 
Jesus himself; the good seed meant the words that he preached; 
the wheat that grew up meant the persons who listened to those 
words and obeyed them. The enemy that sowed the bad seed 
meant Satan; and the tares in the field meant wicked men. 
As- the owner of the field allowed the wheat and the tares to 
grow together until the harvest, so Jesus will allow good and 
bad men to live together in the world until the Judgment day. 
Then he will send forth his angels to gather up the good and 
take them to heaven, but the bad will be sent away to be 
punished. 

And Jesus spoke a parable about the mustard seed, which is 
among the smallest of seeds; yet when a man takes it, and 
plants it in the ground, it grows up to be the largest of herbs, and 
the birds come and lodge in its branches. So it is with our love to 
God. At first it seems very small. But if we are truly his 
children, it will go on growing stronger and greater, until we 
love him more than we love any one else, and try harder, in all 
that we do, to please him. 

Jesus also told the people about a merchantman who was 
looking for pearls to buy. He went to every person who had 
any to sell, hoping to find some that would suit him. At last he 
found one that was larger and more beautiful than any he had 
ever seen before. But its price was so great that he had not the 
money to buy it. Therefore, he went away and sold everything 
he had, so that he might come back and buy that one precious 
pearl. This is the way that persons feel who want their sins 
forgiven. They cannot be happy till it is done, and they are 
willing to give up every sinful pleasure, and everything that 
offends God, so that they may come to him and ask him to for- 
give their sins for them. 

Then Jesus spoke of the fishermen with their net. They carry 
it out in their boat on the sea, and cast it into the water, and 
afterward drag it slowly to the shore. When they come there, 
and draw it up out of the water again, they find a great number 
of fishes in it. But the fishes are of many different kinds. Some 



548 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

are good: these they gather into baskets to keep; and some are 
bad : these they throw away. So, Jesus said to his disciples, it 
would be at the end of the world. For, he told them again, the 
angels would then come forth and separate the righteous from 
the wicked, and would send away to be punished those who 
had not obeyed him. 

And there came to Jesus a Scribe, or teacher of the law of 
Moses, who said to him, Master, I want to stay with thee and go 
with thee wherever thou goest. Jesus answered him, saying, 
The foxes have holes in the ground and the birds have nests, but 
I have not where to lay my head. Jesus meant that he was 
poorer even than the foxes and the birds. For they had homes 
of their own in which they might stay, but he had no place 
where he might go when he was weary, and lie down to rest. 

In the evening, after he had spoken these things, both Jesus 
and his disciples went into a boat, to sail over to the other side of 
the sea of Galilee. As they were going, a great storm arose, and 
the waves dashed into the boat and rilled it with water, so that it 
was ready to sink. But Jesus was asleep in the hinder part of 
the boat, with his head on a pillow. And his disciples came and 
awakened him, saying, Lord, save us, or we shall perish. ' Jesus 
rose up, and spoke to the winds and the sea, and said to them, 
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased to blow, and the sea was 
still and calm. Then he said to his disciples, Why were you 
afraid? How is it that you have so little faith? 

And they sailed over to the other side of the sea. When 
Jesus was come out of the boat, there met him a man who had 
an evil spirit. He had torn off his clothes and was very fierce, 
so that no one could pass by that way. His friends had often 
bound him with chains, to keep him at home; but he broke the 
chains, and went and lived in the caves, that had been hollowed 
out of the sides of mountains for tombs. And always, night and 
day, he was wandering in the tombs and mountains, crying out 
and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus a good 
way off, he ran to him and fell down at his feet and worshipped 
him, saying, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of 
God ? I beseech thee, punish me not. 



THE GOSPELS 



549 



Now there was near the mountains a herd of swine feeding, 
and the evil spirits that were in the man, (for more than one had 
gone into him), begged Jesus, that if he commanded them to 
come out, he would let them go into the swine. Jesus said to 
them, Go. And when they had come out of the man, they went 
into the herd of swine; and the whole herd (there were about 




JESUS ASLEEP IX THE STORM 



two thousand of them) ran swiftly down a steep place into the 
sea, and were drowned in the waters. And the men who took 
care of them, fled into the city and told what they had seen. 
Then all the people came out to meet Jesus. When they saw 
the man who before had evil spirits, sitting down, quiet and 
clothed, and in his right mind, they were afraid, and asked 
Jesus to go away from their country. 

And when he was come into the boat to leave that place, the 



55o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

man out of whom he had cast the evil spirits, begged that he 
might go with him. But Jesus said to him, Go home to thy 
friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done 
for thee. Then the man went, and began to tell all the people 
how he had been made well. 



MATT. IX-XIV (9-14). MARK V, VI (5,6). LUKE VIII, 

IX (8, 9). JOHN VI (6) 

JESUS HEALS THE WOMAN WHO TOUCHES HIS GARMENT, RAISES THE RULER'S 
DAUGHTER, HEALS TWO BLIND MEN AND A DUMB MAN, SENDS OUT HIS 
APOSTLES TO PREACH THE GOSPEL, FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND, WALKS 
ON THE WATER, AND HEALS THE SICK. 

Jesus went into Capernaum. And one of the rulers of the 
synagogue came to him, and kneeling down at his feet, begged 
him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is sick and ready 
to die: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she 
may live. Jesus went with him, and so did his disciples. And 
many people followed after him and crowded around him. 
Among them was a woman who had suffered for twelve years 
from a disease which no physician could cure; for she had 
asked many, and given them all the money she had, yet she 
was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard that 
Jesus was there, she said to herself, If I can but touch his 
garment, I shall be made well. So she came in the crowd be- 
hind him, and touched him; and as soon as she had done it 
she felt that her sickness was cured. 

Then Jesus, turning toward the people that followed him, said, 
Who touched me? His disciples answered, Thou seest the mul- 
titude pressing against thee, and askest thou, Who touched me? 
But he looked around to see her who had done this thing. When 
the woman saw that he knew it, and that she could not be hid, 
she came trembling, and falling down at his feet, told before all 
the people why she had touched him, and how in a moment she 
was made well. Jesus said to her, Daughter, be not afraid; 
because thou hadst faith in me, thou art healed. 

While he yet spoke to the woman, there came to the ruler 



THE GOSPELS 



55i 



of .the synagogue a messenger, saying, Thy daughter is dead ; 
therefore trouble not the Master any further. But Jesus said to 
him, Fear not; only have faith, and she shall live. When they 
came to the ruler's house, Jesus saw the people weeping and 
wailing greatly. He said to them, Why do you weep ? the child 
is not dead, but sleeping. He meant that she should soon rise 
up from the dead, like one who waked out of sleep. But they 




JESUS RAISES TO LIFE THE RULER'S DAUGHTER 



would not believe him, and laughed him to scorn. Then Jesus 
put them all out, and took three of his apostles— Peter, James, 
and John— and the father and the mother of the child, and went 
into the room where she lay. And he took her by the hand, and 
said, I say to thee, arise. And the child, who was twelve years 
of age, arose and walked. All those who saw it wondered; and 
he commanded that food should be given her. 

As Jesus went away from the ruler's house, two blind men 



552 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

followed him, and cried after him, saying, Thou son of David, 
have mercy on us. They called him this, because he was de- 
scended from king David. Jesus said to them, Do you believe 
that I am able to make you well? They answered, Yes, Lord. 
Then he touched their eyes, and immediately they could see. 
Jesus said to them, Tell no man what I have done to you. 
But when they left him, they told the people through all that 
country how he had healed them. 

They brought to him a dumb man who could not speak, 
because an evil spirit had entered into him. And Jesus cast 
out the evil spirit, and the man spoke. Then all the people won- 
dered, and said, We have never seen such things done before in 
the land of Israel. But the Pharisees hated Jesus, and told the 
people that he was able to cast out devils, because Satan, the 
prince of the devils, helped him. 

Jesus came again to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, 
and he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and taught 
the people. And they were astonished at his words, and said, 
Where did this man get such great wisdom, and power to do such 
wonderful works ? Is he not the son of Joseph, the carpenter ? 
Is not his mother named Mary, and are not his brethren and his 
sisters here with us? So they would not believe on him; and 
because they would not, he did no miracles there, except that he 
put his hands on a few sick persons and healed them. 

Jesus called his twelve apostles to him, that he might send 
them out through all the land, to preach the gospel. Yet he 
told them not to go into the cities where the Samaritans, or the 
Gentiles lived, but to go only among the children of Israel. He 
told them this because the children of Israel were God's chosen 
people, and the gospel was to be preached to them first. 

And before the apostles went, Jesus gave them power to do 
miracles, so that all who should see them do those wonderful 
works might believe the gospel that they preached. He said to 
them, Wherever you shall go among the people, heal their sick, 
make their lepers well, raise their dead; and tell them that 
Christ has come to save all who believe on him. But do not 
expect them to treat you kindly for doing these things; as they 



THE GOSPELS 



553 



have treated me, so they will treat you. They will take you 
before their courts to try you, and scourge you, because you 
preach to them about me. Yet do not fear them, they are able 
only to kill your bodies; rather fear God, who is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell. 

Jesus also told the apostles not to take any money or food 
with them for their journey; for all they should need would 




JESUS FEEDS THE MULTITUDE 

be given to them, because they were working for him. He said, 
You know that two sparrows are sold for a farthing; they 
are worth so little that men care nothing for them. Yet God 
cares for them; he feeds them, and not one of them ever dies 
without his knowing it. Fear not then that he will forget you, 
for you are of more value than many sparrows. He remembers 
the smallest thing about you, and knows even the number of 
the hairs upon your head. And he will remember also those 



554 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

who are kind to you, for when any one shall be kind to you, it 
will be the same as if he were kind to me; and whoever gives 
you a cup of cold water only, because you are my disciples, 
shall be rewarded for doing it. 

When Jesus had done commanding his twelve apostles, they 
went out through the cities and towns, preaching to the people 
and healing those who were sick. Afterward they came back to 
him, and told him of all they had done. And he said to them, 
Come, let us go to some place apart, where you may rest awhile; 
for there were so many coming and going, they had no time 
even to eat. Then they went into a boat, and sailed to the other 
side of the sea of Galilee, that they might be alone. But when the 
people heard of it, they followed them on foot, walking around 
by the side of the sea and coming where Jesus was. 

In the evening his apostles came to him, saying, This is a 
desert place where there is nothing to eat, and the day is now 
passed: send the people away, that they may go into the vil- 
lages and buy themselves food. Jesus said, They need not go 
away, give you them something to eat. The apostles answered, 
Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and 
give them to eat ? and even this would not be enough, for each 
one of them to take a little. He said to them, How many 
loaves have you? Go, and see. When they knew, they an- 
swered, Five, and two small fishes. 

And he commanded his apostles to make all the people sit 
down in companies on the green grass. And Jesus took the 
five loaves and the two fishes, and looked up to heaven and 
thanked God for them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces, and 
gave them to the apostles; the fishes also he divided among 
them. And the apostles gave them to the multitude. And 
Jesus made those few loaves and fishes to increase, as they were 
given to the people, so that there was enough for them all. 
When they had eaten, he said, Gather up what is left, that 
nothing be lost. And they gathered up of the pieces that were 
left, twelve baskets full. Those that had eaten were about 
five thousand men, beside women and children. 

The people, when they saw this great miracle which Jesus 



THE GOSPELS 



555 



did, wanted to make him their king, but he left them and went 
up on a mountain alone, to pray. The apostles he sent away in 
a boat, to go across the sea toward Capernaum. And in the 
evening they were out on the middle of the sea, rowing, for the 
wind was against them, but Jesus was alone on the shore. 
From there he could see them toiling in rowing, for the waves 
were rough and stormy. And in the night he went out to them, 




CHRIST WALKS ON THE SEA 



walking on the sea. When they saw him, they were afraid, and 
said, It is a spirit: and they cried out with fear. But Jesus 
spoke to them, saying, Be not afraid, It is I. 

Then Peter answered out of the boat, and said, Lord, if it 
be thou, bid me come to thee on the water. Jesus said to him, 
Come. And Peter came down out of the boat, and walked 
on the water to go to Jesus. But when he heard the noise of 
the wind and saw the great waves dashing around him, he 
was afraid, and began to sink, and he cried, Lord, save me. 



556 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, and caught him, 
and said to him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt ? 
When Jesus, and Peter had come into the boat, the wind was 
still; and in a moment the boat was at the land where the 
apostles wanted to be. Then they worshipped him, saying, 
Truly, thou art the Son of God. 




JESUS HEALS MANY STC'K PERSONS 

As soon as they were come on the shore, the people knew him, 
and ran through all that country, and began to carry about in 
beds those that were sick, to the place where they heard he 
was. Wherever he went into villages, or cities, they laid the 
sick in the streets, and begged that they might touch, if it were 
only his garment; and as many as touched him were made 
perfectly well. 



THE GOSPELS 557 

MATT. XV-XVIII (15-18). MARK VII-IX (7-9). LUKE 

IX-XVII (9-17). JOHN VI (6) 

JESUS TEACHES THE PEOPLE; CASTS OUT AN EVIL SPIRIT; HEALS THE DEAF 
THE BLIND, AND THE DUMB; LEEDS THE MULTITUDE; FORETELLS HIS 

death; is transfigured; provides money in the fish's mouth 

PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT. JAMES AND JOHN WOULD 
DESTROY THE SAMARITANS. TEN LEPERS HEALED. 

Jesus came again to Capernaum, and went into the syna- 
gogue and taught the Jews. And they asked him, saying, 
What shall we do to please God ? He answered, Believe that I 
am the Saviour whom God was to send into the world. But the 
Jews had expected the Saviour, when he should come, to be a 
great soldier, who would set them free from the Romans, and 
make them into a kingdom, and rule over them like the kings 
of other nations. Therefore when Jesus came as a poor man, 
telling them to repent of their sins and obey God's command- 
ments, not promising to reward them in this world, but in 
heaven, they were displeased with him, and refused to believe 
that he was the Saviour. 

Then he said to the twelve apostles, Will you also go away, 
and leave me? Peter answered him, Lord, if we leave thee, to 
whom shall we go to be saved ? Jesus answered, I have chosen 
you twelve to be my apostles, and one of you is my enemy. He 
meant Judas Iscariot, who he knew was going to betray, and sell 
him, to the chief priests and elders of the Jews, that they might 
put him to death. The chief priests were the chief, or principal, 
ones in the different courses of priests that served by turns at 
the temple. There were twenty-four chief priests. Like the 
Scribes and Pharisees, they hated the Saviour, and did all they 
could to keep the people from believing on him. 

Jesus went out of the land of Israel and came near the 
cities of Tyre and Sidon. The people of those cities were not 
Jews, but Gentiles. Yet a woman who lived there, when she 
heard that Jesus had come, went to him and begged him to cast 
an evil spirit out of her daughter. At first he turned away as 
if unwilling to hear her, because she was not a Jew; but he did 



558 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

this only to try whether she truly believed in him. Then she 
prayed the more earnestly, and fell at his feet and worshipped 
him, saying, Lord, help me. Jesus answered and said to her, 
Because thou hast faith in me, thy daughter is made well. And 
when she came to her house she found the evil spirit gone out, 
and her daughter laid upon the bed. 

Jesus came again into the land of Israel, by the sea of Galilee. 
There the people brought to him a man that was deaf, and could 
hardly speak, and they asked him to lay his hands on the man 
that he might be healed. Then Jesus took him aside from the 
multitude and put his ringers into the deaf man's ears, and spit 
and touched his tongue, and looking up to heaven, said, Be 
opened. And immediately the man was made well, so that he 
could both hear and speak. 

Many persons came to him, bringing those who were lame, 
and blind, and dumb, and laid them down at his feet that 
he might heal them. Jesus healed them all, so that the peo- 
ple wondered when they saw the lame to walk, the dumb to 
speak, and the blind to see. And they thanked God for what 
had been done to them. 

The multitude being very great, Jesus fed them again 
with only a few loaves and fishes, for they had been with him 
three days, and had nothing to eat. He said to his disciples, If 
I send them away to their homes without food, they will grow 
weary and faint by the way, for many of them have come from 
far. And he asked, How many loaves have you ? His disciples 
answered, Seven, and a few little fishes. Then he commanded 
the people to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven 
loaves and the fishes, and thanked God for them, and gave them 
to his disciples to give to the people. And they all ate and had 
enough. Afterward they took up of the pieces that were left 
seven baskets full. Those that had eaten were about four thou- 
sand persons ; and Jesus sent them away. 

And he came to the city of Bethsaida, and they brought a 
blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took him by 
the hand and led him out of the town ; and when he had spit 
on his eyes and put his hands on him, he asked if he could 



THE GOSPELS 



559 



see. The blind man answered, I see men, yet they do not look 
like men, but like trees walking. Then Jesus put his hands 
again on the man's eyes, and made him look up, and he saw 
everything clearly. 

As Jesus came with his apostles toward the city of Cesarea, he 
asked them, Who do the people say that I am ? They answered, 
Some say that thou art John the Baptist, risen from the dead,' 




JESUS CURES A BLIND MAN 

some that thou art the prophet Elijah, and others the prophet 
Jeremiah, come back to the earth again. Then Jesus asked, 
But who do you say that I am? Peter answered, Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of God. Peter meant to tell Jesus that the apos- 
tles believed him to be the Saviour, whom God had promised to 
send into the world. 

We have read that the Jews expected this Saviour, when he 
should come, to set them free from the Romans and make them 
into a kingdom, and to reign over them like other earthly kings. 



5 6o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Even the apostles who were with Jesus all the time, and be- 
lieved that he was the Saviour, thought he was going to set up an 
earthly kingdom. For although they saw he was now a poor man, 
they did not think he would stay so, but expected he would soon 
become rich and great, and would make them great too. Like 
the rest of the Jews, they had not yet learned that he had come 
to rule only in their hearts, and to have his kingdom there; and 
that instead of fighting battles for them, and ruling over them as 
a king, he was going to die on the cross for their sins. 

But from this time he began to tell them what was really 
going to happen to him; that he must go to Jerusalem, and 
there be cruelly treated by the chief priests, the scribes, and 
the elders of the Jews ; and that he would be killed by them, but 
would rise from the dead on the third day. When Peter heard 
this he was surprised, and said, No, these things shall not hap- 
pen to thee. Yet it was to suffer these things that Jesus had 
come into the world, and when Peter said they should not hap- 
pen to him, it seemed as if he wanted Jesus to live, and set up 
an earthly kingdom, rather than die to save the people from 
their sins. Therefore, Jesus was much displeased with -Peter, 
and called him his enemy, because Peter did not want* him to 
do the things that would please God, but the things that would 
please Peter himself. 

Then Jesus said that if any man wanted to be his disciple, he 
must not seek his own pleasure, but must take up his cross every 
day, and follow him. Jesus meant that his disciples must follow 
his example, and do what is right, no matter how hard and pain- 
ful it may be. For, he asked, what good would it do any one 
to have all that he wanted in this world, or even to have every- 
thing in the world for his own, as long as he lived, if, after he 
died, he should lose his own soul. 

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, three 
of his apostles, and went up on a high mountain to pray. 
While he prayed, his face was changed, so that it shone bright 
like the sun, and his raiment glistened, and was white as snow. 
And suddenly two men were with him. They were Moses and 
Elijah, who had come back to this world to talk with him about 



THE GOSPELS 



56i 



his being crucified at Jerusalem. The Bible says they appeared 
in glory; this means, we suppose, that they looked beautiful and 
glorious, as they may look in heaven. 

The apostles knew that it was Moses and Elijah, and they 
wanted to stay there on the mount with them, and not go down 
any more. Peter said, Master, it is good for us to be here; if 
thou art willing, let us make three tents, one for thee, one for 




JESUS IS TRANSFIGURED ON THE MOUNT 

Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was speaking, there came 

a bright cloud and covered them, and God's voice spoke out of 

the cloud, 'saying, This is my beloved Son, hear him. When 

the apostles heard it, they bowed down with their faces to the 

ground, and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched 

them, and said, Arise, be not afraid. When they had risen 

up and looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and thev 

saw no one except Jesus. Jesus said to them, Tell no man 
36 



562 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

of the things you have seen, until I be risen from the dead. 
But they did not understand him when he spoke of rising 
from the dead, and they asked one another what that saying 

could mean. 

The next day, when they had come down from the mountain, 
many people were waiting to see Jesus. And there came a man 
who kneeled to him, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon 
my son; for he is my only child, and an evil spirit has gone into 
him, that often makes him fall into the fire and into the water, 
to destroy him. And I took him to thy disciples that they 
might heal him, but they could not. Jesus answered, Bring him 
to me. As they brought him, the spirit threw him down, and he 
rolled on the ground and foamed at the mouth. Jesus asked his 
father, saying, How long ago did this come upon him ? He an- 
swered, When he was a child. And Jesus said to the evil spirit, 
I command thee to come out of him, and go no more into him. 
Then the spirit, crying with a loud voice, shook the young man 
greatly and came out of him, but left him weak, like one dead, 
so that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand 
and lifted him up, and he stood upon his feet and was well. 

And they went into Capernaum. Now the Jews who lived in 
the different cities of the land used to send money to the priests 
at the temple, to buy sacrifices with. And the men who took 
this money in the city of Capernaum, came to Peter and asked 
whether his Master would give them any. Jesus knew what 
the men had asked, and when Peter came into the room where 
he was, Jesus said to him, Go thou to the sea of Galilee, and 
cast a hook into the water, and take up the fish that is' first 
caught, and when thou hast opened its mouth thou shalt find 
there a piece of money. Give that to the men for me and 
for thee. Peter did as Jesus commanded, and found the piece 
of money, and gave it to the men. 

Now, although Jesus had told the apostles plainly what was 
going to happen to him, how he would be cruelly treated, and 
put to death at Jerusalem, yet they had never understood him 
when he spoke of these things. They still expected, whatever 
he might have to suffer, that afterward he would set up an 







THE GOSPELS 



563 



earthly kingdom and become very great, and that then they 
would become great also. 

And while they walked by the way, they began to dispute 
with one another as to which of them should be greatest. Jesus 
knew what they said, and when they came into the house, 
he asked them saying, What is it that you disputed among 
yourselves by the way? But they were ashamed and did not 




THE EXAMPLE OF A LITTLE CHILD 



answer him. Then he called a little child and set him in the 
midst of them, and told them that unless they should put away 
their pride, and their desire to rule over one another, they 
could not belong to the kingdom which he was going to set 
up. Whoever, therefore, he said, should be most humble and 
willing to obey like that little child, would be the greatest in 
his kingdom. 

And he said, If thy hand or thy foot cause thee to do wrong, 



564 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

cut them off, and cast them from thee; he meant, that if his 
disciples were committing any sin, which they loved so much 
that it seemed as hard to part with even as a hand or a foot, 
still they must cease committing it and put it away from them. 
For, he said, it would be better for them to part with that sin, 
and at the day of Judgment be taken up to heaven, than to 
keep on committing it, and be punished. 

And Jesus told his disciples that whenever they should meet 
together in any place to worship him, though only two or three 
of them might be there, he would be with them; he meant that 
his Spirit would be with them. And he said that if one of them 
should sin against another, and afterward confess his fault, the 
one he had sinned against must forgive him. Peter asked how 
many times they should forgive, whether as often as seven times. 
Jesus answered that they should forgive one another not only 
seven times, but seventy times seven; he meant always. 

Then he spoke to them a parable. He said, There was a king 
who wanted to take an account of the money that his servants 
owed him. And one was brought who owed him a very great 
sum, as much as ten thousand talents. But as he had nothing 
to pay with, the king commanded that he, and his wife, and his 
children should be sold as slaves, so that the money they were 
sold for might be paid to him for the debt. Then the servant 
fell down on his knees before the king, and prayed that he would 
have patience with him till he could earn the money, or get it 
from those who owed it to him, Then, he said, I will pay thee all. 
The king, when he saw his distress, pitied him, and was kind to 
him, and forgave the debt altogether. 

But that same servant went out and found one of his fellow- 
servants who owed him only a hundred pence. And he came 
to him, and caught him by the throat and said, Pay me what 
thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and 
begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee 
all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison, to 
be kept there till he should pay the debt. 

Therefore, the king's other servants who saw what he had 
done, were very sorry, and they came and told the king. Then 



THE GOSPELS 



565 



the king, when he had called him, said to him, O thou wicked 
servant. I forgave thee all thy debt because thou didst ask me. 
Shouldst thou not, also, have pitied thy fellow-servant as I pitied 
thee ? And the king was greatly offended, and sent him to be 
punished till he should pay all that he owed him. 

In this parable the king means God, and the servant who 
owed him ten thousand talents means us, because we have sinned 
so often against him. As the king punished that wicked servant 
because he would not forgive his fellow-servant, so, Jesus says, 
God will punish us if we do not forgive one another our tres- 
passes. 

As Jesus journeyed toward Jerusalem, he sent some of his 
disciples on before him, to make ready a place where he might 
stop and rest by the way. And they came to a village of the 
Samaritans, but the men of that village would not let Jesus 
stop there, because he was a Jew, and was going toward Jeru- 
salem. Then the apostles James and John were very angry, 
and asked him if they might not call down fire from heaven to 
destroy those men, as the prophet Elijah had called down fire 
to burn up the captain, with his fifty men, whom the king of 
Israel sent to take him. But Jesus was displeased with James 
and John for asking this; he said to them, I did not come on 
the earth to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they 
went on to another village. 

As they went, there came ten men who were lepers to meet 
Jesus. These men stayed with each other because they were 
all sick with the same dreadful disease, and were not allowed to 
come near persons who were well. Therefore, they did not 
come near Jesus and his disciples, but stood a good way off 
and cried out, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Now, as 
we have read, Moses had commanded every leper who was healed, 
to go and show himself to the priest, that the priest might give 
him permission to live among the people again. When Jesus 
heard these poor men crying out, he said to them, Go, show 
yourselves to the priest. And as they went they were healed. 
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, 
and with a loud voice praised God, and came and knelt down 



5 66 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

at the feet of Jesus, giving him thanks; the man was a Samaritan. 
Jesus said, Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the other 
nine ? Only this Samaritan comes back to thank God for what 
has been done to him. 

LUKE X, XI (10, 11). JOHN VII-XI (7-11) 

JESUS TEACHES THE JEWS; ANSWERS THE LAWYER'S QUESTION; SPEAKS 
THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN; VISITS BETHANY; TEACHES 
THE LORD'S PRAYER; CHOOSES THE SEVENTY DISCIPLES; HEALS A BLIND 

man; says he is the good shepherd; raises lazarus. 
Jesus went up to the temple, and the Jews came to him, and 
he sat down and taught them. He said to them, Yet for a 
little while I will be with you, and then I will go back to my 
Father who sent me. After I have gone you shall look for me 
but shall not find me, and where I go you cannot come. You 
will not believe that I am the Son of God, and therefore you 
shall die without having your sins forgiven. But if any man 
will believe on me he shall never die. Jesus meant that his 
soul should never die, but the Jews thought he meant that the 
man's body should not die. And they answered him, saying, 
Abraham has died, and the prophets, and yet thou sayest that 
if a man believe in thee he shall never die. Art thou greater 
than Abraham and the prophets ? 

Then Jesus told them that Abraham, when he was alive, 
believed on him, and knew that he was coming on the earth; 
and that Abraham wanted to see the day when he should come, 
and in his heart, and by faith, he did see it, though it was then 
a long way off: and Jesus said that it made Abraham glad. 
The Jews answered, Thou are not yet fifty years old, and hast 
thou seen Abraham ? Jesus told them that he was living in 
heaven before Abraham was born. At this they were angry, 
and took up stones to cast at him, but he passed out from among 
them, and they could do him no harm. 

On another day while he was teaching the people, a lawyer 
stood up to ask him questions, saying, Master, what must I do 
to be saved ? Jesus said to him, What does God's law command 
thee to do ? The lawyer answered that it commanded him to 



THE GOSPELS 



567 



love God with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself. Jesus 
said, Thou hast answered right; do these things and thou shalt 
be saved. But the lawyer, because he wanted to excuse him- 
self, said, And who is my neighbor? 

Then Jesus spoke this parable, saying, A certain man went 
down from Jerusalem to the city of Jericho, and as he went, got 
among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing and wounded 
him, and went away leaving him half dead. While he lay on 




THE GOOD SAMARITAN HELPS THE WOUNDED MAN 

the ground too weak to rise, there came by chance a priest that 
way. ^ As this priest was a minister, and a teacher of God's law, 
we might suppose that he would have shown kindness to the 
wounded man. But instead of this, he crossed over to the other 
side of the road and went by, pretending that he did not see 
him. And after the priest came a Levite. He also was one 
of those who attended to God's worship at the temple: yet 
when he looked at the man, he passed on as the priest had 
done, without offering to help him. 



568 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

But after the priest and the Levite had gone, a Samaritan, as 
he journeyed, came to the place. Now the Jews hated the Sa- 
maritans, and would have no dealings with them. Therefore we 
would not be surprised to hear that this Samaritan had refused 
to help the wounded Jew. Yet it was not so, for when he saw 
him he pitied him, and went to him and bound up his wounds, 
pouring in oil and wine to make them heal. Then he lifted him 
up, and setting him on his own beast, took him to an inn and 
nursed him there. The next day when he left he took out 
money, and gave it to the owner of the inn, saying, Take care 
of him; and whatever more thou shalt spend for him after I 
am gone, when I come again I will pay thee. 

Jesus, after he had told this parable, said to the lawyer, 
Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto 
him that fell among thieves? The lawyer answered, The one 
that showed kindness to him. Then Jesus said to him, Go 
thou, and do likewise: that is, to every one who needs thy 
help, do as the Samaritan did. So Jesus taught the lawyer, 
and so he teaches us, that whoever does good to another person 
is that person's neighbor. 

Jesus came to a village called Bethany, which w T as a little way 
from Jerusalem ; and a woman named Martha asked him to her 
house. She had a sister named Mary, who, when Jesus had come, 
sat down at his feet, that she might listen to what he taught about 
the way we are to be saved, and taken to heaven. Then Martha, 
because she had all the work to do, was displeased with her sister, 
and she came to Jesus, saying, Lord, dost thou not care that 
Mary has left me to do the work alone ? Bid her therefore, that 
she come and help me. Jesus answered, Martha, Martha, thou 
art careful and troubled about many things ; yet only one thing 
is needful. Mary has chosen that, and it shall never be taken 
away from her. He meant that Mary had chosen religion, which , 
when we come to die, will be the only thing that we need, and 
the only thing that shall not be taken from us. 

Jesus taught his disciples what they should say when they 
prayed to God. He said, When you pray, say, Our Father, who 
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. 



THE GOSPELS 



S69 



Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day 
our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom, the power' 
and the glory forever. Amen. 

Jesus told his disciples to ask God for those things that they 




JESUS AT THE HOUSE OP MARY AND MARTHA 



needed, and God would give them. For, he said, if one of your 
children should ask you for bread, would you give him a stone? 
or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a serpent ? If 
you, then who are sinful men, know how to give good things to 
your children, how much more certain is it that your heavenlv 
Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Jesus 
said that God would .give us the Holy Spirit, because that is the 
best gift he can give us; for it is the Holy Spirit who comes 



57 b THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

into our hearts and changes them into new hearts, and so makes 

us God's children . 

Jesus chose seventy more of his disciples, beside the twelve 
apostles, and sent them out two and two, into every city and 
town where he himself expected to come, that they might heal 
the sick, and preach the gospel to the people. And the seventy 
went and did as Jesus commanded. Afterward they returned 
to him, full of joy, because they had been able to do miracles in 
his name. But he told them not to rejoice because they had 
power to do miracles, but rather because their names were written 
down among those whose sins were forgiven, and who should be 

taken up to heaven. 

As he came from the temple, he saw a man who had been 
blind ever since he was born. And Jesus spat on the ground 
and making clay of the spittle, put it upon the eyes of the blind 
man, and said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. He 
went therefore and washed, and when he came back, could see. 
Then the neighbors, and those who before had known that he 
was blind, said, Is not this he who sat and begged ? Some said. 
This is he: others said, He is like him; but the man himself 

said, I am he. ; 

Therefore they asked him, saying, How were thine eyes 
opened ? He answered, A man that is called Jesus made clay and 
put it upon my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and 
wash ; and I went and washed, and after that I could see. They 
said to him, Where is he? He answered, I know not. 

And they brought the man who had been blind to the Phari- 
sees. It was the Sabbath day when Jesus made clay and opened 
his eyes. And the Pharisees also asked him how he had been 
made well. He answered, He put clay on my eyes, and I washed 
and do see. Then some of the Pharisees said, The man that 
cured thee cannot be one who obeys God, because he did it on 
the Sabbath day; and they asked him what he thought of Jesus. 
The man said, I think he is a prophet. 

But the Jews would not believe that the man had really been 
blind, until they called his parents and asked them, saying, Is 
this your son who, you say, was born blind? How is it then 



THE GOSPELS 5?I 

that he can now see ? His parents answered, We know that 
this is our son and that he was born blind, but how it is that he 
now sees, we cannot tell ; he is old enough to speak for himself, 
ask him. ^ The parents were afraid to say that it was Jesus who 
cured their son, because the Jews had agreed together that if 
any man said Jesus was the Saviour, he should not come into 
the synagogue. Therefore they answered, Our son is old enough 
to speak for himself, ask him. 

Then the Pharisees again called the man who had been blind, 
and said to him, Thank God for curing thee, and not the man 
who put clay on thine eyes, for we know that he is a sinner. 
The man answered, Whether he is a sinner or no, I know not- 
one thing I know, that I used to be blind, but now I see. They 
said to him again, What did he do to thee ? How did he open 
thine eyes ? The man said, I have told you already and you 
would not hear me. Why do you want to hear it again ? Will 
you also be his disciples ? Then they abused him, and said, 
Thou art his disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know 
that God sent Moses, but as for this fellow we know not who 
sent him. 

The man answered, Why this is a strange thing, that you 
know not who sent him and yet he has opened my eyes. Since 
the beginning of the world, such a thing was never heard of 
before, as that a man should give sight to one that was born 
blind. If God had not sent this man, he could not have cured 
me. Then the Pharisees were filled with anger, and they 
answered him, saying, Thou wast born altogether a sinner, and 
wilt thou try to teach us? And they forbade him to come 
any more into the synagogue. Jesus heard what the Pharisees 
had done, and when he found the man, he said to him, Dost 
thou believe on the Son of God ? The man answered, Who is 
he, Lord, that I may believe on him? Jesus said, It is he that 
talketh with thee. And the man said, Lord, I believe. And 
he worshipped him. 

Jesus said to his disciples, I am the good shepherd, and 
know my sheep. He meant that he was like a shepherd to 
his disciples, and they were like his flock of sheep. In that 



572 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



country the shepherds went before their flocks, and the sheep 
followed them. Each sheep had its name, and knew the shep- 
herd's voice and came when he called it. The shepherd stayed 
with his sheep by night, as well as by day, to keep them from 




THE GOOD SHEPHERD 



being lost, and to guard them from wild beasts. So Jesus is 
always with his disciples to guard them from Satan, and show 
them the way to heaven. 

As he walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch, the Jews 
came round about him, and said, If thou art the Son of God, 



THE GOSPELS 



573 



who, the prophets said, should come into the world, tell us so 
plainly. Jesus answered, I have told you already, but you 
would not believe because you are not of my sheep. My sheep 
hsten to my voice and follow me, and I will give them eternal 
life; they shall never be lost, neither shall any man take them 
away from me. My Father gave them to me, and no man can 
take them out of his hand. I and my Father are one. Jesus 
meant that he was God ; yet not God the Father, but God the 
Son; as good and as great as God the Father, and to be loved 
and worshipped as much. 

Then the Jews took up stones to cast at him because he said 
that he was God, but he escaped from them and went out of 
Jerusalem, beyond the river Jordan, to the place where John 
had baptized; and the people came to him and many believed 
on him there. 

Now Mary and Martha, who lived in the town of Bethany 
had a brother named Lazarus, and he was sick. Therefore his 
sisters sent word to Jesus, to tell him their brother was sick 
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he 
heard their message, he did not go to them, but stayed two 
clays longer m the place where he was. Afterward he said 
to his disciples, Let us go to Bethany, for our friend Lazarus 
sleepeth and I go to awake him out of his sleep. Jesus meant 
that Lazarus was dead, and that he was going to raise him 
up from the dead. But his disciples thought he meant that 
Lazarus was taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly 
saying, Lazarus is dead. 

Now Bethany was near to Jerusalem, about two miles off 
and many of the Jews had gone there to be with Martha and 
Mary, and comfort them in their trouble. Martha, as soon 
as she heard that Jesus was coming, went out to meet him, but 
Mary sat still m the house. Then Martha, when she met Jesus 
said to him, Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not 
died. But I know that even now, whatever thou wilt ask of 
God, he will g,ve it thee. Jesus said to her, Thy brother shall 
rise again Martha answered, I know that he shall rise again 
at the Judgment day. 



574 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Then Martha went back to her home and called Mary, say- 
ing, The Master is come, and asks for thee. As soon as Mary 
heard this she rose quickly to go to him, and when she saw 
him she kneeled down at his feet and said, Lord, if thou hadst 
been here my brother had not died. When Jesus saw her 
weeping and the Jews weeping with her, he was troubled, and 
said, Where have you laid him? They answered, Lord, come 
and' see. Jesus wept. Then the Jews, when they saw him 




JESUS RAISES LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD 



weeping, said, See how he loved him. And some of them 
asked, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind 
have saved Lazarus from dying? 

Jesus came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone was rolled 
to the mouth of it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, 
the sister of Lazarus, said to him, Lord, by this time his body 
is decayed, for he has been dead four days. Jesus answered her, 
Did I not tell thee that if thou wouldst believe in me, thou 
shouldst see how great God's power is? Then they took away 



THE GOSPELS 575 

the stone. Now the Jews, when they buried their dead, wrapped 
the body in linen, and tied up the head in a napkin. So they 
had buried Lazarus. And after the stone was taken away frorn 
the mouth of the cave, Jesus cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, 
come forth! Then he that was dead came forth, with his 
hands and feet bound in grave-clothes, and his face bound 
around with a napkin. Jesus said to them, Loose him, and 
let him go. 

And many of the Jews who had come to visit Martha and 
Mary, when they saw this great miracle which Jesus did, be- 
lieved on him. But some went to the Pharisees and told them 
of what they had seen. Then the Pharisees and chief priests 
gathered together, and said one to another, What shall we do ? 
for this man worketh many miracles. If we let him alone, all 
the people will believe on him and make him their king; 'and 
then the Romans will be angry, and come and take away our 
city and destroy our nation. From that time they talked with 
one another about some way of putting him to death. 

MATT. XIX, XX (19, 20). MARK X (10). LUKE XIII- 

XVIII (13-18) 

JESUS HEALS A WOMAN ON THE SABBATH. HE TELLS WHAT IS NEEDED 
IN A DISCIPLE. THE PARABLES OF THE LOST SHEEP, THE GREAT SUP- 
PER, THE LOST PIECE OF SILVER, THE PRODIGAL SON, THE RICH MAN 
AND LAZARUS, THE UNJUST JUDGE, THE PHARISEE AND PUBLICAN 
HE BLESSES LITTLE CHILDREN. 

Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 
And a woman was there who, for eighteen years, had been 
bent down with disease, so that she could not straighten herself 
nor lift herself up. When he saw her he called her to him, and 
said, Woman, thou art made well of thy sickness. Then he 
laid his hands on her, and immediately she lifted herself up 
and was made straight, and she spoke, praising God. 

But the ruler of the synagogue was angry because Jesus had 
healed her on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, There 
are six days in which men ought to work; if any of you want to 
be healed, come then, and not on the Sabbath. Jesus answered 



57^ 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



him, Thou hypocrite, doth not each of you, on the Sabbath, 
take his ox or his ass from the stable, and lead him out to water 
him? And if it is right to do what is needful for the ox or the 
ass, is it not right that this woman, who has been suffering for 
eighteen years, should be made well on .the Sabbath day ? When 
he said this his enemies were ashamed; but the people were 
glad for the miracles that were done by him. 




THE GRKAT SUPPER 



On another Sabbath, Jesus went into the house of one of the 
chief Pharisees, and, while there, he spoke a parable about a man 
who made a great supper. When everything had been set on 
the table, the man sent his servant to those who were invited, 
saying, Come, for all things are now ready. But they began 
with one accord to make excuse. The first said, I have bought 
a piece of ground and must go and see it ; I pray thou wilt 
have me excused. Another said, I have bought five yoke of 



THE GOSPELS ~„ 

5/ / 

oxen, and am going to try them; I pray thee have me excused 
And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot 
come. 

So the servant came and told his master these things Then 
the master, being angry, said to him, Go out quickly into the 
streets and bring into my house the poor, the lame, and the blind 
AiKhthe servant did as he-was commanded. Afterward he came 
to his master, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded and 
there is room for still more. The master said, Go again, through 
the streets and lanes of the city, and make the people come in 
that my house may be filled ; for none of those men who were 
first invited shall taste of my supper. 

In this parable the man who gave the supper means God ; the 
supper itself means the good news of the gospel. The servant 
means God's ministers who preach that gospel; and the men 
who were first invited, and would not come, mean the Jews be- 
cause the gospel was preached to them first, and they would not 
believe it. The men who were brought into the supper afterward 
mean the people of other nations, who have heard the gospel since 
that time, and obeyed it. And the command to go out into the 
streets and lanes and bring them in means that not only the 
rich and great, but also the poor and despised, are invited to 
come and be saved. 

And great multitudes came to hear Jesus. But he said to 
them, that although a man might come and listen to his words 
yet if he did not in his heart, care more for him than for any 
one else in the whole world, he could not be his disciple. And 
if he did not take up his cross, that is, deny himself things that 
were wrong, as Jesus himself did, he could not be his disciple 

For which of you, he asked, who intends to build a house or 
a tower, does not first sit down and count how much it will cost 
and find out whether he has enough money to build it ? Lest 
after he has begun, and built only a little way, he may have to 
stop and all that see it mock him, saying, This man 'began to 
build, but was not able to finish. Or what king who is going 
to make war against another king, does not before he sets out 
consider how large an army his enemy has, lest his own armv 

37 



57 8 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

be too small to fight against it ? So, Jesus said, that any man 
who wanted to follow after him, must think first of what he 
would have to do. For unless he was willing to give up all that 
he had, if Jesus commanded it, he could not be his disciple. 

Then the publicans, or tax-gatherers, and other men who 
were sinners, came near to hear him. Therefore the Scribes 
and Pharisees found fault with Jesus, saying, He keeps com- 
pany with wicked men, and eats with them. But Jesus an- 
swered Which of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one 
of them, does not leave all the rest and go after that which is 
lost till he find it? And when he has found it, he takes it 
up on his shoulders and carries it home, rejoicing. When he 
comes there, he says to his neighbors and friends, Rejoice with 
me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. 

Or what woman who has ten pieces of silver, if she lose one 
piece, does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and look 
carefully till she find it. And when she has found it, she says to 
her friends and her neighbors, Rejoice with me, for I have found 
the piece which was lost. Jesus meant, by these parables, to 
teach the Scribes and Pharisees, that the publicans and sinners 
who came to hear him were like the lost sheep, arid the lost 
piece of silver, because they were wicked. Yet he would not 
for this reason, send them away; but would rather seek for 
them, and encourage them to come to him, so that he might 
teach them to repent. For he said, that even the angels in 
heaven were glad whenever one of those wicked men repented, 
and began to serve God. 

And he spoke a parable, saying, There was a man who had 
two sons; and the younger one said to his father, Father, give 
me my share of the riches which thou hast laid up for thy chil- 
dren. And his father gave him his share. Not many days 
after, the younger son took all that he had, and went away into 
a far country, and there wasted what his father had given him, 
among wicked companions. When he had spent all, there came 
a great famine in that land and he began to want bread to eat. 
Then he went and hired himself to a man of that country, who 
sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have 



THE GOSPELS 



579 



been glad to have enough of the coarse food which the swine ate 
but the man did not give it to him. 

And after he had suffered awhile, he said to himself, In my 
father s house, at home, how many hired servants there are who 
have plenty to eat, and more than they want, while I stay here 
starving with hunger. I will arise and go to my father, and 




THE PRODIGAL SON RETURNS TO HIS FATHER 

will say to him, Father, I have sinned against God and done 
wickedly to thee, and do not deserve any more to be called thy 
son; let me come back to thy house, and treat me as one of thy 
hired servants. 3 

So he left that country to go back to his father. But as he 
went while he was yet a good way off, his father saw him and 
pitied him, and ran out to meet him, and put his arms around his 



5 8o THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

neck and kissed him. Then the son said to him, Father, I have 
sinned against God and done wickedly to thee, and do not deserve 
any more to be called thy son. But his father said to the ser- 
vants Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring 
on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring here the fatted calf 
and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son had 
left me and is come back again; he was lost, and is found. And 

they began to be merry. 

Now the elder son was out in the field, and when he came 
near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called 
one of the servants, and asked him what these things meant. 
The servant answered, Thy brother is here, and thy father has 
killed the fatted calf, because he has come back safe and sound. 
Then the elder son was angry and would not go in; therefore his 
father came out to him and begged him. But he answered his 
father, and said, For a great many years I have served thee, 
neither did I ever disobey thy commandments, yet thou never 
gavest me a kid that I might make a feast for my friends. But 
as soon as this thy son was come, who has wasted thy money in 
doin- wickedly, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. The 
father answered, My son, I have always loved thee, and every- 
thing I have is the same as though it were thine. \ et it is 
right that we should be glad and rejoice, for this thy brother had 
left us, and is come back again; he was lost, and is found. 

In this parable Jesus taught the proud Scribes and Pharisees, 
who blamed him for preaching to sinners, that God loved those 
sinners and was willing to forgive them, and take them for his chil- 
dren again, if they would only cease doing evil and obey him. 

And he spoke another parable to those persons who loved 
to be rich, and to spend their time only in enjoying them- 
selves but did not care to obey God. He said, There was a 
rich man who was dressed in the most beautiful garments, and 
ate the nicest of food every day. And there was a beggar 
• named Lazarus, who was sick, and covered with sores. And 
because he was poor, and. had nothing to eat, his friends car- 
ried him and laid him down every day at the rich man s gate so 
that he might get the crumbs and pieces of food that were lett 



THE GOSPELS 



58, 



from the rich man's table. And even the dogs seemed to pity 
him, for they came and licked his sores. 

And the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to heaven. 
Pie was not poor there, neither had he to beg his food. He ate 




LAZARUS BEGS FOR CRUMBS FROM THE RICH MAN'S TABLE 



at the table with Abraham, and leaned upon Abraham's bosom. 
Afterward the rich man died also, but his soul went where the 
wicked go. And in hell, while he was being punished for his 
sins, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus lean- 
ing on his bosom. Then he cried, saying, Father Abraham, have 
pity upon me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his 
ringer in water, and come with it and cool my tongue; for I am 
tormented in this flame. But Abraham said to him', Remem- 
ber that in thy lifetime thou hadst good things, and Lazarus 
evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 
Beside this, there is between us and you a great gulf which no 



5 82 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



one can pass, so that those who would go from us to you cannot, 
and those who would come to us from you cannot come. 

Then the rich man said, If Lazarus cannot come to me, I pray 
thee send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren liv- 
ing there, that he may tell them to repent and obey God, so that 
they come not, when they die, to this dreadful place. Abraham 
answered, They have the Scriptures to read, let them learn to 




LAZARUS IS CARRIED TO HEAVEN 

repent from them. And the rich man said, Nay, Father Abra- 
ham, but if one from the dead shall go and speak to them, they 
surely will repent. Abraham answered him, If they will not hear 
what God says to them in the Scriptures, they would not be per- 
suaded to obey him, even though one rose from the dead. 

And Jesus spoke yet another parable, when he wished to 
teach his disciples that they should continue to pray, and not be 
discouraged, although God did not at first seem to answer their 



THE GOSPELS 



5*3 



prayers. He said, There lived in a city a wicked judge, who 
did not fear God, nor care to act justly toward men. And in 
the same city lived a poor widow, who kept coming to him, and 
asking that he would punish a man who was her enemy. For a 
while the judge would not listen to her, but afterward' he said to 
himself, Though I will not do it because I fear God, or care to 
act justly toward men, yet because this woman wearies me, I will 




THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN 



do what she asks. Then Jesus said, Hear what this judge saith. 
If he, who was a wicked man, would do what the widow wished 
because she asked him so often, will not God, who is holy, and 
who loves his children, give them what they pray for by day and 
by night, though he seem for a while not to hear them ? 

And Jesus spoke a parable to those persons who thought 
themselves more righteous than others. He said, Two men 
went up to the temple to pray, one of them was a Pharisee and 



5§4 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



the other a publican. The Pharisee chose a place where the 
people would see him; there he stood up proudly, and prayed 
in this way: God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, 
who are unjust, and who take more than belongs to them. I 
thank thee that I am not a sinner like this publican. I fast 
twice in the week; I give to the priests and Levites a tenth 
part of all that I get. But the publican, who felt himself to 




JESUS BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN 



be wicked and was sorry for it, stood where he hoped no one 
would notice him, and bowing down his head, he beat upon his 
breast in great distress, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
Then Jesus told those who listened to him, that this publican 
went back to his home forgiven more than the Pharisee. For 
he said, Every one who is proud and thinks much of himself, 
shall be put down, but he that is humble and confesses his sin 
shall be raised up higher. 



THE GOSPELS 5 8 5 

The people brought little children to Jesus, that he might put 
his hands on them and bless them. And his disciples found fault 
with those who brought them, and would have sent them away. 
But Jesus was much displeased with his disciples, and said, Let 
the little children come unto me, and forbid them not, for of 
such is the kingdom of heaven. He meant that only those per- 
sons who are humble and loving, like little children,' shall come 
into his kingdom. Then he took the little children up in his 
arms, and put his hands upon them, and blessed them. 

^ And as they journeyed together, he took the twelve apostles 
aside by themselves, and told them they were going up to Jerusa- 
lem, and that when they should come there, all those things would 
happen to him which the prophets had spoken. He would be 
mocked and scourged, and spit upon, and crucified ; and the third 
day he would rise again. But the apostles, because they still 
expected that he was going to set up an earthly kingdom, could 
not understand him when he spoke of those things. 



MATT. XXI-XXTII (21-23). MARK X-XII (10-12) 

LUKE XVIII-XXI (18-21). JOHN XII (12) 

JESUS COMES TO JERICHO, HEALS BLIND BARTIMEUS AND VISITS ZACCHEUS. 
HE ENTERS JERUSALEM RIDING ON AN ASS, HEALS THE BLIND AND 
LAME, CURSES THE BARREN FIG-TREE, SPEAKS THE PARABLES OF THE 
VINEYARD AND OF THE MARRIAGE FEAST, TELLS WHICH IS THE GREATEST 
COMMANDMENT, AND COMMENDS THE WOMAN WHO GAVE TWO MITES. 

When Jesus came to Jericho a great number of people fol- 
lowed him. A blind man, named Bartimeus, sat there by the 
way-side begging; and hearing the multitude, he asked what 
it meant. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 
As soon as he heard this he began to cry out with a loud voice, 
sa Y in g> Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me ! When the 
people heard him crying out, they told him to be silent. But 
he cried a great deal the more, Thou son of David, have mercy 
on me ! Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And 
they called him, saying, Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth 
for thee. Then the blind man rose up in haste, and threw away 
his outer garment, that he might go the more quickly to Jesus. 



5 86 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Jesus said to him, What wilt thou have me do for thee ? The 
blind man answered, Lord, that thou wouldst give me my sight. 
Jesus said, Because thou hast faith thou art made well. And 
immediately he could see ; and he followed Jesus, praising God 
for what had been done to him. 

There was in Jericho a man named' Zaccheus, who was the 
chief one among the publicans, or tax-gatherers; and he was 
rich. As Jesus passed through the streets of the city, Zac- 




JESUS TELLS ZACCHEUS TO COME DOWN 



cheus tried to see who it was, but could not for the crowd, 
because he was not so tall as the rest of the people. Then he 
ran on before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree, for Jesus 
was to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place he looked 
up and saw him, and said to him, Zaccheus, make haste and 
come down, for to-day I must stay at thy house. And he made 
haste and came down, and, going with Jesus, received him into 

his house joyfully. 

Now the publicans, who took the people's money for the 



THE GOSPELS 5 8 7 

king, were often unjust and cruel men. They were unjust to 
poor persons, taking from them more than it was right to take 
And it is very likely that Zaccheus did this before Jesus came 
to his house But when Jesus had come, he believed that God 
sent him and he listened to his teaching, and obeyed his words 
And Zaccheus stood up before all the people who were there' 
and told Jesus that he would be unjust no more. He would be 
kind to the poor, he said, and would give them half of all the 
money he had. And if he found he had taken anything that 
did not belong to him, he would give back four times as much 
to the person he took it from. 

«h W 5 e Vf S u S SaW , h ° W ZaCcheUS re P ented of hl 's sins, and 
obeyed what he taught him, he told Zaccheus that all his sins 
were forgiven But the Jews found fault with Jesus for goin* 
to the house of a publican; they said that he had gone to stay 
with a man who was a sinner. Then Jesus told them that he 
had come into the world on purpose to go among sinners, so 
that he might teach them to repent, and save them from being 
punished for their sins. g 

Now the feast of the passover was near, and many of the 
people went up to Jerusalem to keep it. Then they looked for 
Jesus, and as they stood in the courts of the temple, spoke to 
one another, saying, What think you, will he not come to the 
feast ? For both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given 
a commandment, that if any man knew where Jesus was, he 
should tell them. And six days before the passover, Jesus 
came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he had raised 
from the dead^ The Jews knew that Lazarus was there, and 

tZL'T ?■ f Uy ' n0t t0 See JeSUS onl y> but Laza ™s also. 
Then the chief priests talked with one another, seeking some 

way to put Lazarus to death; because many of the Jews, after 
they had seen him, believed on Jesus. 

And Jesus left Bethany to go to Jerusalem. When he was 
come to the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, say- 
ing, Go into the village which is near you, and you shall find 
there a colt tied, on which no man ever yet rode. Loose him 
and bring h.m to me. If any man asks, Why do you this? 



5 88 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



you shall say, Because the Lord has need of him ; and imme- 
diately he will send him. So the two disciples went and found 
the colt, as Jesus had said. As they were loosing him, the 
owners asked, Why loose you the colt? They answered, The 
Lord has need of him. Then they let them take him. And 
they brought him to Jesus; and the disciples put their garments 
upon the colt and Jesus sat on him. 




JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM 



As he rode toward the city a great multitude took oft then- 
outer garments and spread them in the way. Others cut down 
branches from the trees and strewed them in the way, that he 
might ride over them. They did this to honor him, for so the 
people used to do when a king rode through their streets. And 
the multitude that went before and that followed after cried 
with a loud voice, praising him, and saying, Hosanna! Blessed 
is he that has come to us, sent by the Lord. Yet Jesus knew 



THE GOSPELS 5 8 9 

that although they now praised him, they did not love him in 
their hearts, and that in a few days they would be crying out 
to crucify him. As he came near to Jerusalem, he looked on 
it and wept, when he thought of the sufferings that were comino- 
upon the Jews. Their enemies would bring an army, he saicf 
and make a camp around the city, and besiege it and destroy it' 
every house would be thrown down, so that not one stone would 
be left standing upon another; because, although he had come 
from heaven to save them, the Jews would not believe on him, 
and were now going to put him to death. 

Jesus came into Jerusalem, and went up to the temple, and 
the blind and the lame were brought to him, and he healed 
them. But when the chief priests and the Scribes saw the mir- 
acles that he did, and heard the children in the temple praising 
him and crying out, Hosanna, they were much displeased. 

In the evening he went out of the city, to Bethany, and slept 
there. In the morning, as he came back to Jerusalem, he was 
hungry, and seeing a fig-tree on the way, he went to it to eat of 
the fruit, but found only leaves on the tree. Then he said to it, 
Let no more fruit grow on thee forever; and the disciples heard 
his words. The next day, as they passed by again, they saw that 
the fig-tree was dried up from the roots, for it was dead. And 
remembering the words that Jesus had spoken, they said, How 
soon has the fig-tree withered away. 

And Jesus spoke this parable. He said, There was a man who 
planted a vineyard, and set a hedge or fence around it, and dug 
a cistern to hold the juice of the grapes, when they were pressed 
to make wine. He built a tower also, for the servants who 
should stay to guard it against wild animals and robbers. After 
everything was finished, he rented his vineyard to husbandmen 
who were to give him a part of the fruit. Then he went away 
to a far country. 

When the time had come for the fruit to be ripe, he sent one 
of his servants to the husbandmen, that they might give him his 
share. But the husbandmen caught the servant and beat him, 
and sent him away without any. And the owner of the vine- 
yard sent another servant; at him they cast stones and wounded 



59° 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



him in the head, and sent him away cruelly treated. Afterward 
he sent yet more servants, and some of these they beat and some 
they killed. Then the owner of the vineyard, having one son 
whom he loved, sent him, saying, Surely they will fear to harm 
my son. But the husbandmen, when ihey saw him, said, This 
is the son, who, when his father dies, will have the vineyard. 
Come, let us kill him and take it for our own. So they caught 
him, and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. Then 




WINE PRESS IN AN EASTERN VINEYARD 



\ 



Jesus said to the people who heard him, When the owner of the 
vineyard comes, what will he do to the husbandmen ? The peo- 
ple answered, He will destroy those wicked men, and let out his 
vineyard to others, who will give him his share of the fruit. 

In this parable the owner of the vineyard meant God, and the 
wicked husbandmen meant the Jews. God had chosen them for 
his people, and given them the land of Canaan; he had taught 
them his laws, and they had promised to obey him. When they 
did not do this he sent his prophets to warn and persuade them. 
But they had persecuted those prophets and slain them. Then, 



THE GOSPELS 5QI 

at last, God sent his only Son, Jesus. And now they were going 
to kill him also, as the wicked husbandmen had killed the son 
of the owner of the vineyard. When the chief priests and the 
Pharisees heard this parable, they knew that Jesus had spoken it 
about them ; and they were angry and wanted to put him to death. 
Jesus spoke another parable to the people. He said, There 
was a king who made a marriage-feast for his son. And he sent 
out his servants, telling those who were invited to come : and 
they would not. Then he sent to them again, saying, My oxen, 
my fatted calves, and my sheep, have been killed for my dinner' 
and all things are ready, therefore come to the marriage. But 
some turned away and would not hear, and others took the ser- 
vants, and treated them cruelly and slew them. When the king 
heard of it he was angry, and sent out his soldiers and destroyed 
those murderers and burned up their city. Then he said to his 
servants, The wedding-feast is ready, but those who were invited 
cannot come. Go out, therefore, into the streets and lanes and 
ask all whom you meet to the marriage. So the servants went out 
and gathered all the people they could find and brought them in. 
Now the king had provided new and beautiful garments for 
those who should sit down to his feast, and one of these garments 
was offered to each person as he came into the house, and he 
was commanded to put it on. But when the king went into the 
room where the feast was held, he saw there a man that had not 
on a wedding garment. And he said to him, Friend, how earnest 
thou in here not having on a wedding garment ? And the man 
was silent, for he had refused to take it when it was offered him. 
Then the king, being angry, said to the servants, Bind his hands 
and his feet, and take him away, and cast him into the dark 
dungeons where those persons are kept who will not obey me. 

In this parable the king who gave the feast means God, and 
the king's son for whom it was given, means Jesus. Those who 
were first invited to it and would not come, mean the Jews, be- 
cause they were first asked to believe in Jesus, but they would 
not. The people who were brought into the feast afterward, 
mean those of other nations who have believed in him since that 
time. And the man without the wedding garment means any 



59 2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

one who pretends to believe, but in his heart does not. Such 
a person may seem to obey God's word, and thus deceive 
others, but God sees our hearts, and nothing we can do will 
hide them, even for a moment, from him. 

A Pharisee, who was also a teacher of the laws of Moses, 
came to Jesus and asked him a question: he said, Master, which 
is the first, or principal one, of all God's commandments ? Jesus 
answered, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first 
and great commandment. And the other one that is like it 
is, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Then Jesus said, 
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets; 
he meant that all the other commandments in the Bible come 
from these two. For if we obey the first, we shall do all our 
duty to God, and if we obey the last, we shall do all our duty 
to our neighbor; and so we shall do everything that the Bible 
commands us to do. 

Jesus spoke to the Scribes and Pharisees and called them 
hypocrites, because they loved to sit in the chief seats in the syn- 
agogues and to make long prayers there, that the people might 
see and praise them for doing it; while, at the same time, they 
were unjust to other persons and cruel to the poor, taking for 
their own what did not belong to them. Because they did these 
things, Jesus said, they should receive the greater punishment 
at the Judgment day. 

And he sat in the court of the temple where the chests, or 
boxes, were placed, into which the people cast the money that 
they gave to buy sacrifices. And many persons who were rich 
gave much. But there came a poor widow who gave only two 
mites, which were less than a penny. Then Jesus called his 
disciples to him, and told them that the small sum of money 
the poor woman had put into the box seemed more to God 
than all that the rich men had given. For they, Jesus said, 
had much left for themselves, because they gave only a very 
small part of the riches they possessed. But the poor widow 
had nothing left for herself, because she gave all that she had, 
even to live upon. 



COPYRIGHT, 1911, BYW. A. FOSTEF 




THE WIDOW'S OFFERING 



THE GOSPELS 593 



MATT. XXIV-XXVI (24-26). MARK XIII, XIV (13, 14). 
LUKE XXI (21). JOHN XII (12) 

JESUS FORETELLS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE. THE PARABLES 
OF THE TEN VIRGINS AND OF THE TALENTS. JESUS SPEAKS OF THE 
JUDGMENT-DAY. HE GOES TO BETHANY, WHERE MARY ANOINTS HIS 
FEET. JUDAS AGREES TO BETRAY HIM FOR THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER. 

Although the Jews had seen Jesus do so many miracles, 
they would not believe that he w r as the Saviour, because their 
hearts were wicked. Yet many of their rulers believed on 
him, but were afraid to confess it, lest the Pharisees should forbid 
them to come into the synagogue; for they cared more to have 
men think well of them than they did to please God. 

We have read that Herod had built up the temple anew 
with stones of white marble. He had richly adorned it, so 
that it was one of the largest and most splendid buildings 
in the world. The houses, for the priests to live in, were built 
near to the temple ; we have read also of the different porches, 
with great marble pillars, which stood around the court of the 
Gentiles. As Jesus was going away from the temple, one of 
his disciples came to him and said, Look, Master, at the great 
stones and beautiful buildings that are here. Jesus answered 
him, Dost thou see these great buildings? Verily, (that is, 
Truly), I say unto thee, the day is coming when they shall all 
be thrown down, so that not one stone of them will be left 
standing upon another. Jesus said this because he knew that 
the Jew r s were going to crucify him, and that afterward God 
would punish them by sending their enemies against them, who 
would destroy their city and their temple. 

And Jesus told his disciples to be always ready for the Judg- 
ment day, because they could not tell how soon that day would 
come. Then he spoke a parable to them about ten virgins who 
went out to meet the bridegroom. For in that country w^hen a 
man was married, he brought his bride home to his house in 
the night, and some of his friends, each one carrying a lamp, or 
torch, used to go out to meet him. These ten virgins, in the para- 
ble, had made ready to go out and meet the bridegroom. They 
38 



594 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



had lighted their lamps, but because the bridegroom stayed 
longer than they expected, they sat down to wait until he should 
come. And they all fell asleep. Now five of them were wise, 
and brought oil in vessels with them, beside the oil that was in 
their lamps, so that if their lamps should go out, they would 
have enough to fill them again. But five were foolish, and 
brought no oil except what was in their lamps. 




THE MARRIAGE-FEAST 



And at midnight the people who were watching, cried, The 
bridegroom is coming, go ye out to meet him. Then all the 
virgins rose up in haste and trimmed their lamps. And the 
foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil for our lamps 
have gone out. But the wise answered, saying, We have not 
enough for us and for you; go therefore to those that sell, 
and buy more for yourselves. While they were gone the 
bridegroom came, and those that were ready went in with 
him to the marriage-feast; and the door was shut. Afterward 
came the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But 



THE GOSPELS S9S 

he answered and said, I know you not; and he refused to let 
them come in. 

In this parable the bridegroom means Jesus coming back to 
the earth on the Judgment day. The ten virgins mean those 
of us who call ourselves his disciples, and who expect to be 
. ready to meet him then. The oil that was burned in the lamps 
means religion in our hearts; if we have not enough of this to 
keep our lamps burning, that is, to keep us loving Jesus and 
obeying his commandments, we shall not, when he comes again 
go with him to heaven. But, like the foolish virgins whose oil 
was all gone, we shall find the door shut, and will never be 
allowed to enter there. 

_ Jesus spoke another parable of a man who took a journey 
into a far country. But before he went, he called his servants 
and gave them some money, that they might- take it and earn 
more with it for him, while he was gone. To one servant he gave 
five talents, to another two, and to another only one He gave 
to each servant as much as he thought that servant would know 
how to use. When he had done this, he went away on his jour- 
ney Then the servant who had five talents took them and 
traded with them, until he earned for his master five talents 
more. And the one who had two talents, did the same till he 
had earned two talents more. But the servant with one talent 
because he had no love for his master, did not care to work for 
him Therefore he went and digged in the ground, and hid his 
lord s money, to keep it till he should come. 

After a long time the master returned, and called his servants 
to give an account of what they had done. So he who had the 
five talents came to him, saying, Master, thou gavest me five 
talents, see, I have earned beside them five talents more His 
master said, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou 
hast been industrious and careful with the few things that I 
gave thee, I will now give thee many things; thou shalt come 
and live in my house and be happy with me there. He also who 
had the two talents came, and said, Master, thou gavest me 
two talents, I have earned two other talents beside them. And 
the master said, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou 



59 6 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



hast been industrious and careful with the few things that I gave 
thee, I will now give thee many things; thou also shalt come and 
live in my house and be happy there. 

Then he who had the one talent came, and said, Master, I 
knew that thou wast an unjust man, taking what was not thine 
own, and using what did not belong to thee; and I was afraid 
lest I might lose thy money, and be punished for it. Therefore 
I went and hid it in the earth, where no one could steal it from 
me. And now I have brought it again; there it is; take it, for 
it is thine. The master answered him, Thou disobedient and 
slothful servant, even if I were an unjust man, it was no reason 
why thou shouldst neglect thy duty, and be idle while I was 
aone. Therefore thou art only making an excuse for thy own 
wickedness. Then he said to his other servants, Take the one 
talent from him, and give it to him who earned five talents. For 
to every one who has earned something, I will give more; but 
from him who has earned nothing, I will take away even the 

little that he has. 

In this parable the master means Christ, who has gone^ to 
heaven to stay for a time, we know not how long, but is coming 
back on the Judgment day. The servants are all of us whom 
he has left to work for him in this world. The talents mean 
whatever he has given us to work with. Some of us have many 
talents, and some of us have few, but each one has as many as 
he knows how to use. When Jesus comes again, he will reward 
those who have used their talents in working for him, but he 
will punish those who have not used them, or who have used 
them only in working for themselves. 

Jesus also told his disciples of what would happen on the 
Judgment day. On that day he will come in his glory, and 
all the holy angels will be with him. Then he will sit on his 
throne, and the dead of all nations shall rise up from then- 
graves and stand before him to be judged. And he will separate 
the righteous from the wicked, as a shepherd separates his sheep 
from the goats; he will set the sheep on his right hand, but 

the goats on the left. 

Then he will say to those on his right hand, Come, ye 



THE GOSPELS 597 

children of my Father, into the kingdom which has been made 
ready for you from the beginning of the world. For when I 
was hungry you gave me food ; when I was thirsty you gave me 
drink; when I was poor and naked you clothed me; when I 
was sick you visited me ; when I was in prison you came to me 
and comforted me. Then the righteous shall answer him, say- 
ing, Lord, when saw we thee hungry and fed thee, or thirsty 
and gave thee drink ? When saw we thee poor, and naked, and 
clothed thee, or sick, or in prison, and comforted thee ? And 
Jesus shall answer them, Whenever you did these things to 
any poor and suffering person who loved me on earth, it was 
the same as if you did it to me. 

Then shall he turn to the wicked on his left hand, and 
say, Depart from me, ye cursed, for I was hungry and you 
gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; 
I was naked and you clothed me not ; sick and in prison, and 
you visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, 
Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, 
or in prison, and did not help thee ? And he shall answer them, 
Because ye did not do it to any of the poor and the suffering 
people who loved me on earth, it was the same as if ye did not 
do it to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punish- 
ment, but the righteous into life eternal. 

When Jesus had spoken all these things to his disciples, he 
told them that in two days would be the feast of the passover, 
and then he would be betrayed to be crucified. Now the chief 
priests and scribes were anxious to take him; and they met 
together at the house of the high priest, to plan how they might 
do this by cunning, and afterward put him to death. But, they 
said, we cannot do it on the feast day, when all the people will 
be gathered together, lest they be angry and it cause a dis- 
turbance among them. 

And Jesus came to Bethany, the town where Mary, Mar- 
tha, and Lazarus lived. They made him a supper there, and 
Martha waited on him, but Lazarus was one of those who ate 
at the table. Now the Jews at their meals, did not sit upright 
on chairs as we do; they reclined, or lay down on couches which 



598 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



were placed around the table instead of chairs. They reclined 
on these couches, leaning upon their left arms and feeding them- 
selves with their right hands, while their feet were stretched out, 
away from the table, on the couches behind them. 

As Jesus was reclining in this way, Mary took a pound of 
ointment, called spikenard, which was very costly, and bowing 
down at his feet, she anointed them with it and wiped them 
with her hair ; and the house was rilled with the sweet smell of 
the ointment. One of his apostles, named Judas Iscariot, who 




mffffiMw 



RECLINING AT MEALS 



afterward betrayed him, said, Why was not this ointment sold 
for three hundred pence, and the money given to the poor? 
Judas said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because 
he was a thief, and carried the bag in which the money was 
kept, and he wanted to take it for his own. But Jesus an- 
swered him, saying, Let her alone ; why do you find fault with 
her ? She has done a good work on me. For you have the poor 
with you always, and whenever you will you may do them good, 
but you will not have me always. And Jesus said to his dis- 
ciples, that wherever his gospel should be preached over the 



THE GOSPELS 



599 



whole world, this thing that Mary had done to him, should be 
told, that it might be remembered of her. 

Then Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests, and said to 
them, What will you give me, if I bring you to the place where 
he is, so that you may take him ? And they promised to give 
him thirty pieces of silver. From that time he tried to find 
Jesus alone, that he might betray him to them. 




THE APOSTLES FOLLOW THE MAN INTO THE HOUSE 



MATT. XXVI (26). MARK XIV (14). LUKE XXII (22) 

JOHN XIII-XVIII (13-18) 

JESUS AND HIS APOSTLES EAT THE PASSOVER. THE APOSTLES DISPUTE AS 
TO WHICH SHALL BE GREATEST. JESUS WASHES THEIR FEET; EATS 
OE THE LORD'S SUPPER WITH THEM; GOES WITH THEM TO GETHSEMANEJ 
PRAYS IN THE GARDEN; AND IS BETRAYED BY JUDAS. 

Now the day was come when the Jews made ready for the 
feast of the passover. To do this, each man among them 
took a lamb to the temple and killed it, as a sacrifice, before 
the altar. Then the priests burned its fat on the altar, but the 
rest of the lamb the man took to his home ; there it was roasted 
with fire, and he and his family ate of it in the night; for, as we 
have read, the feast of the passover was eaten in the night. 

Jesus and his apostles were going to keep this feast together, 



6oo THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

and the apostles came to him and asked at what place they 
should make it ready. He answered, Go into Jerusalem, and 
there shall meet you a man carrying a pitcher of water ; follow 
him into the house where he is going, and say to the man who 
lives there, The Master wants thee to show us the chamber 
where he shall come and eat the feast of the passover with his 
disciples. And the man will show you a large upper room, 
furnished; there make ready the feast. The disciples did as 
Jesus commanded, and the man showed them the room and 
they made the feast ready there. 

In the evening Jesus came with his twelve apostles, and re- 
clined with them at the table. And he said to them, I have 
greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I die, for I 
say unto you, I will not any more eat of the lamb that has been 
sacrificed, until I myself have been sacrificed for the sins of the 
people. But the apostles did not understand him when he spoke 
of being sacrificed for the people. They still thought he was 
going to set up an earthly kingdom, and that now the time for 
him to do this was coming near. And they began to dispute 
among themselves, as they had done before, about which of them 
should be greatest in that kingdom. Then Jesus told them that 
among the people of this world, those who were great ruled over 
the rest. But, he said, it shall not be so with you. For whoever 
among you will be the greatest, let him be the most humble, and 
the one who will be chief, let him be as if he were the servant of all. 

Then Jesus asked them which was the greatest, the person 
who ate at the table, or the one who served him while he was 
eating. Yet, he said, I am among you as the one who serves. 
And he arose from the table, and laid aside his outer garment, 
and took a towel and girded himself with it. After that he 
poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet 
and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. And 
he came to Peter. Now Peter did not wish Jesus to wash his 
feet as though Jesus were his servant, and he said to him, Lord, 
wilt thou wash my feet ? Jesus answered, Thou dost not under- 
stand why I do it now, but thou shalt know afterward. Peter 
said, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I 



THE GOSPELS 6oi 

wash thee not thou canst not be one of my disciples. Then Peter 
said, Lord, wash not my feet only, but also my hands and my head 
Jesus said to him, He that is washed needs only to wash his feet 




JESUS WASHES THE APOSTLES' FEET 



So after he had washed their feet, and put on the garment 
which he had laid aside and come to the table again, he said to 
them, Do you know what I have done unto you ? You call me 
Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I, then 
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you ought to 
wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that 
you should do as I have done to you. 

And as they ate of the passover, Jesus said to them, Verily, I 
say unto you, one of you who are eating with me shall betray 
me. Then the disciples were filled with sorrow, and they looked 
on one another wondering of whom he spoke. Now there was 
leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved 



6o2 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Peter therefore motioned to him that he should ask Jesus of 
whom he spoke. He then that leaned on Jesus' breast said to 
him, Lord, who is it ? Jesus answered, It is he to whom I shall 
give' a piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish. And 
when he had dipped the bread he ga.ve it to Judas Iscariot. 
After that, Satan went into Judas. Then Jesus said to him, 
What thou art going to do, do quickly. 

Now no man at the table knew what Jesus meant by these 
words. Some of them thought, because Judas carried the bag 
in which the money was kept, that Jesus commanded him to go 
and buy those things of which they had need, or else that he 
should give something to the poor. Then Judas went out from 
the house where Jesus and the apostles were. And it was night. 
When he was gone, Jesus said to them, I will be with you only 
a little while. Before I leave you I give a new commandment 
unto you: it is that you love one another; as I have loved you, 
so shall ye also love one another. By this every one shall know 
that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. 

And Jesus told the apostles that they would all be tempted to 
leave him that night. Peter answered, Though all the rest shall 
leave thee I never will, for I am ready to go to prison and be 
put to death with thee. Jesus said, I tell thee, Peter, that this 
night, before the cock crows twice, thou shalt three times deny 
that thou knowest me. But Peter answered the more con- 
fidently, Though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee. 

And so they all said. 

And as they were eating together, Jesus took bread and 
blessed it, and broke it in pieces and gave it to his apostles, 
saying, Take and eat, for this is my body which is broken for 
you. He meant that the bread was like his body, and repre- 
sented it, because his body was soon to be broken, and crucified, 
and offered up on the cross for them. Then he took some 
wine in a cup, and when he had thanked God, he gave it to 
them and they all drank of it. And he said to them, This 
wine is my blood, which is shed for the forgiveness of sins. 
He meant that the wine was like his blood, and represented 
it, because his blood was very soon to be shed, like the blood 



THE GOSPELS 



603 



of the sacrifices at the altar, so that all who believed in him 
might have their sins forgiven. Then he commanded his apos- 
tles to meet together, after he should be put to death, and to eat 
the bread and drink the wine in the same way that he had shown 
them; and as often as they did it to remember him. 

This is the Communion, or Lord's Supper, that his disciples 
have still. It was Jesus who told us to have it. Whenever 




JESUS GIVES HIS APOSTLES THE BREAD AND WINE 



we see the broken bread in that Supper it means his body 
wounded and nailed to the cross. And whenever we see the 
wine it means his blood, poured out of the wounds in his hands 
and his side. Those who love him will keep on having this 
Supper until he comes to the earth again. Every time they eat 
of it they think of the sins they have committed that he was 
punished for on the cross; and they repent of those sins and 
determine to commit them no more. 



6o 4 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

And as they sat at the table Jesus talked with his apostles, 
and told them not to be troubled because he was to be taken 
away from them. He was going to heaven, he said, to make 
ready a place for them there; afterward he would come and 
take them, so that where he was, they might be. And he said 
to them, Obey my commandments, for it is he who obeys my 
commandments that loves me; and whoever loves me my Father 
will love. Then he promised them that his Father would send 
the Holy Spirit into their hearts, to make them remember and 
understand every thing he had told them; and to teach them also 
what they should teach others. The Holy Spirit would stay with 
them, and be their Comforter, while he was away from them. 

Jesus also said, I am the vine and ye are the branches; 
he meant that he was like a vine, and the apostles were like 
branches growing out of the vine. The good branches, he said, 
that bore fruit, his Father took care of, and made stronger, so 
that they would bear more fruit ; but the bad branches, that bore 
no fruit, were cut off and thrown into the fire. And if the 
apostles wanted to bear fruit, that is, if they wanted to do the 
good works that Jesus told them to do, they must keep on 
loving and obeying him, for without his help they- could do 

nothing that was good. 

Then he told the apostles that he had chosen them to bear 
fruit, and do good works among the people. Yet they must 
remember what he had before told them, that the people would 
not love them for doing these things, but would hate them and 
persecute them. And now, he said, you have sorrow, because I 
am to be taken away from you, but after I have risen from the 
dead I will see you again, and then you shall have joy. 

And he commanded them when they asked anything from 
God, to ask it in his name and for his sake. Before that time 
they had never prayed in this way, but now they were to do it, 
and God would always hear and answer their prayers. God would 
answer the disciples when they prayed in Jesus' name, because 
Jesus was the one who had borne the punishment for their sins. 

Then he lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed for his dis- 
ciples, and for all those who should believe in him from hearing 



THE GOSPELS 



605 



the words that his disciples preached. He prayed that they 
might be kept from sin, and might love one another; and he 
said that he wanted them to be with him in heaven, where they 
could see his glory which his Father had given him 

After these things Jesus and his apostles sang a hymn to- 
gether, and then they went out from the house where they had 
eaten the passover, and came to the mount called the mount of 




JESUS PRAYS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMAN* 



Olives, which was a little way from Jerusalem; and they went 
mto a garden that was there, called the garden of Gethsemane. 
Jesus said to his apostles, Sit ye here while I go yonder and 
pray. Then he went a little way from them, and kneeled 
down and prayed. And now, because he was being punished 
for our sins, and knew that in a few hours he would be crucified 
fie was in an agony, and bis sweat was like great drops of 
blood falling down to the ground; and an angel came and 



6o6 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



comforted him. When he rose up from prayer and went back 
to his disciples, he found them sleeping, and he said to them 
Why sleep ye? Arise and pray, lest you be tempted to do 
wrong. And he went away and prayed again, and came and 
found them sleeping. But when he came the third time, he 
said, Rise up, and let us be going; behold, he who will betray 
me is coming near. 




JUDAS BETRAYS JESUS 



Now Judas had been watching when Jesus went to the gar- 
den. And because it was night and only a few of his disci- 
ples were with him, Judas thought it the best time to betray 
his Master. Therefore he went to the chief priests and elders 
and told them, and they gave him a band of men to go with 
him to take Jesus; now Judas was bringing the men to the 
garden, and Jesus knew it, yet he did not flee, but waited to 
let them take him, because the time had come for him to die. 



THE GOSPELS 607 

And while he was yet speaking with his apostles, and telling them 
that one who would betray him was near, Judas came, and with 
him the band of men carrying swords and staves, and lanterns. 
Judas had given them a sign, saying, The one that I shall 
kiss is he; take him and hold him fast. Then he came to 
Jesus, and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him. Jesus said 
to him, Judas, dost thou betray me with a kiss? Then the 
men laid their hands on Jesus and took him. When the apos- 
tles saw them take Jesus, they said to him, Lord, shall we 
fight them with the sword ? And Peter, having a sword, drew 
it, and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 
But Jesus said, Put thy sword back again into the sheath. 
Might I not now pray to my Father that he should send me 
quickly many thousands of angels to fight for me, and save me 
from death? But how then could the words of the prophets 
come true, which say that I am to die for the people? Then 
Jesus touched the servant's ear and healed it. And he said to 
the men that took him, Have you come out with swords and 
staves, as though I were a thief, to take me ? I sat daily with 
you, teaching in the temple, and you did nothing to me. Then 
all his apostles, being afraid, left him and fled. 

MATT. XXVI, XXVII (26, 27). MARK XIV, XV (14, 15). 
LUKE XXII, XXIII (22, 23). JOHN XVIII, XIX (18, 19) 

JESUS IS LED BEFORE THE HIGH PRIEST. PETER DENIES HIS MASTER. JESUS 
IS BROUGHT BEFORE THE COUNCIL; IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH; HE COM- 
MITS HIS MOTHER TO JOHN'S CARE; HE DIES ON THE CROSS. 

The men that took Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, who 
was the high priest that year. In the high priest's palace 
were gathered together all the chief priests, the scribes, and the 
elders, and they brought Jesus before them. Now Peter had 
followed Jesus, a good way off, hoping that no one would know 
him, and he came into the high priest's palace, and sat down 
among the servants, by a fire that was burning there; for he 
wanted to see what would be done. 

And a young woman came to him, and said, Thou wast with 
Jesus of Galilee. But Peter denied it, and said he was not. 



6o8 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Then he went out on the porch, and the cock crew. There an- 
other maid saw him, and said to those who stood by, This fellow 
also was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again Peter denied it, 
saying, I do not know the man. After a while, one of the 
servants of the high priest, who was. a relation of him whose 
ear Peter had cut off, said, Did not I see thee with him in the 
garden ? Then Peter denied it again : and the second time the 




PETER DENIES THAT HE IS JESUS' DISCIPLE 

cock crew. And Jesus turned and looked upon Peter. And 
Peter remembered the words which Jesus had spoken to him, 
saying, Before the cock crow twice thou shalt three times deny 
that thou knowest me. And when he thought of it, he went out 
and wept bitterly. 

Then the high priest asked Jesus about his disciples, and 
about the gospel that he preached. Jesus answered, I taught in 
the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always go, 
and in secret have I taught nothing. Why askest thou me? 



THE GOSPELS 



609 



ask those who heard me, what I said to them; they know what 
I said. When he had spoken these words, one of the officers 
that stood by struck him with the palm of his hand, sayino- 
Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus said to him, If & I 
have spoken evil, tell those who should punish me; but if I 
have spoken well, why strikest thou me ? 




CHRIST BEFORE THE HIGH PRIEST 



Now the chief court of the Jews, which tried persons who dis- 
obeyed the law, used to meet in a room near the temple. It was 
called the Court, or Council, of the Sanhedrim, and was made 
up of seventy men. The high priest was among them, and the 
chief priests, and many of the scribes and elders. These men 
were the rulers of the Jews, and they punished in different ways 
persons who had disobeyed the law of Moses. But whenever 
they wanted to punish any one by putting him to death, they 
had to ask permission of the Roman governor; for the Jews, 



610 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

being servants to the Romans, were not allowed to put any one 
to death without the governor's consent. 

As soon as it was morning the men who had taken Jesus 
brought him before the council. There the chief priests, and 
scribes and elders, tried to find false witnesses to speak against 
him. At last two false witnesses came, who said, This fellow 
said, I am able to destroy the temple and to build it up again in 
three days. But Jesus did not answer them. Then the high 
priest arose, saying, Answerest thou nothing? But Jesus was 
silent. And the high priest said, I ask thee to tell us whether thou 
art the Christ, the Son of God ? Jesus answered, I am. And I 
say unto you, Hereafter you shall see me sitting on the right hand 
of God, and coming back to earth again in the clouds of heaven. 
Then the high priest rent his clothes and said, What need 
have we of any more witnesses against him ? You have heard the 
wicked blasphemy he speaks. What do you say his punishment 
should be ? And all the men in the council said he should be put 
to death. Then they did spit in his face, and mock him ; and when 
they had blindfolded him they struck him with the palms of their 
hands, saying, Tell us, thou Christ, who it is that struck thee ? 

And after they had bound him, all the council rose and led 
Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. When they 
brought him into Pilate's house they began to accuse him before 
the governor, saying, We found this fellow teaching the Jews 
to rebel against the Romans; forbidding them to pay tribute 
to the emperor, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king. 
Pilate asked him, Art thou a king? Jesus answered, I am; but 
my kingdom is not of this world, for then would my servants 
fight to save me from the Jews. 

And Pilate said to the chief priest and to the Jews who had 
brought him, I find no fault in this man. But they were the 
more fierce, and cried out, saying, He stirs up the people to do 
wrong throughout all Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem. When 
Pilate heard them speak of Galilee, he asked if Jesus came from 
there; and after they had told him that he came out of Galilee, 
he sent him to Herod, who was governor over that part of the 
land; for Herod was in Jerusalem at this time. 



THE GOSPELS 



6n 



When Herod saw Jesus, he was glad, for he had long wanted 
to see him because he had heard many things of him. He hoped, 
also, to see some miracle done by him. And Herod asked Jesus 
many questions; but Jesus answered him nothing. And the 
chief priests, and scribes, stood by and bitterly accused him. 
Then Herod with his soldiers made sport of him and mocked him, 
and put on him a purple robe, because he had said he was a king; 




CHRIST IS MOCKED 



for kings dressed in purple. Afterward Herod sent him back 
to Pilate again. Then Pilate called together the Jews, with the 
chief priests and rulers, and said to them, You have brought 
this man to me as one that stirs up the people to do wrong; but 
I, having questioned him before you, have found no fault in him. 
Neither has Herod ; for I sent you to him, but nothing for which 
he ought to die has been proved against him. 

Now every year, when the feast of the passover was held in 



612 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

Jerusalem, if any of the Jews were shut up in prison for dis- 
obeying the Romans, the Roman governor used to set one of 
them free, and he allowed the Jews to say which prisoner it 
should be. He did this to please them, and to make them more 
willing to let him rule over them. There was at this time in 
prison a Jew, named Barabbas, who had been put there for 
murder. And the people began to ask the governor to do for 
them as he had always done before, and set one of the prisoners 
free. Then Pilate said, Which one shall it be? Barabbas, or 
Jesus, who is called Christ? For he knew they had brought 
Jesus to be punished only because they hated him. While Pilate 
was speaking with them, his wife sent word to him, saying, Do 
no harm to that just man, for I have been much troubled this day 
in a dream concerning him. 

But the chief priests persuaded the Jews to ask that Barabbas 
might be set free. Pilate answered, What then shall I do with 
Jesus, who is called Christ? They all said, Let him be cruci- 
fied. Pilate said, Why, what evil has he done ? But they cried 
out the more with loud voices, Crucify him! When Pilate saw 
that he could not persuade them to ask for Jesus, he took some 
water and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am not 
to blame for the death of this just man; see you to it. Then, 
answered all the Jews, Let the blame be on us and on our chil- 
dren. But Pilate, by washing his hands, did not take the blame 
from himself. The sin was in his heart, because when he knew 
that Jesus was innocent, he would not let him go, but gave him 
up to be crucified, for fear the Jews might be offended and want 
some one else for their governor. 

Now the Romans, before they crucified a man, used to scourge 
him. He was stripped to the waist, his hands were bound to a 
low post, or pillar, in front of him, so as to make him stoop for- 
ward ; and while he stood in this way, he was cruelly beaten with 
rods, or cords. Pilate, therefore, took Jesus and scourged him. 

Then the soldiers, who were to put him to death, led him into 
a room in the governor's palace, and called together the whole 
band of soldiers to which they belonged. There they took off 
his outer garment, and to mock him, as Herod had done before, 



THE GOSPELS 



613 



they put on him a purple robe. And when they had plaited a 
wreath of thorns, they put it on his head instead of a crown; 
and instead of a golden sceptre, such as kings held, they put a 
reed, or stick, in his right hand. Then they bowed down before 
him, pretending he was a king, and saying, Hail, King of the 
Jews! And they spat upon him, and took the reed, and struck 
him upon the head, and smote him with their hands. 




PILATE SAID, BEHOLD THE MAN 



After Jesus had suffered all these things, Pilate hoped that 
the Jews might be willing to let him go. Therefore he spoke 
to them again, saying, I bring him out to you, to tell you once more 
that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus out before the 
multitude, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. 
And Pilate said to them, Behold the man! But when the 
chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him! 
Crucify him! Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves, then, 



614 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. The Jews an- 
swered, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, be- 
cause he has said that he was the Son of God. 

When Pilate heard them say this he was the more afraid to 
put Jesus to death, and he said to him, From what place didst 
thou come ? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then said Pilate, 
Wilt thou not speak to me? Knowest thou not that I have 




JUDAS BRINGS BACK THE MONEY 

power to crucify thee, and power to let thee go? Jesus an- 
swered, Thou canst do only that to me which God will let thee 
do. From that time Pilate tried to set him free. Now the 
emperor of Rome was named Caesar. He was a jealous and 
cruel man, and Pilate feared him. When the Jews saw that 
Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, they cried out, If thou let this 
man go thou art not Caesar's friend, because he said he was 
king instead of Caesar. After they said this Pilate was afraid 



THE GOSPELS 



615 



to let Jesus go, lest the Jews might tell Ccesar. Therefore he 
gave him up to them to be crucified. 

And Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed him, when he saw 
that Jesus must die, was afraid for what he had done, and he 
brought the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests 
and elders, saying, I have sinned, because I have betrayed one 
Who is innocent. They answered, What is that to us ? See thou 




CHRIST IS TAKEN TO CALVARY 



to that. Then Judas threw down the thirty pieces of silver in 
the court of the temple, and went away and hanged himself. 
The chief priests took the silver pieces, and said to one an- 
other, It is against the law to put them into the treasury at 
the temple, because they were paid for betraying a man who 
is to be put to death. Therefore they bought with them the 
potter's field to bury strangers in. 

And the soldiers took off the purple robe from Jesus and put 



6i6 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

his own clothes on him, and led him away to put him to death. 
They made a man named Simon, whom they met coming out of 
the country, help him carry the cross. And there followed him 
a great multitude of people, and of women, who mourned and 
wept for him. But Jesus, turning to them, said that they should 
not weep for him, but for themselves and for their children, be- 
cause of the sorrows that were coming on the Jews. 

And they brought him to a place called Calvary, which was 
a little way outside of the gates of Jerusalem. There they 
nailed his hands and his feet to the cross and crucified him. 
While they were crucifying him Jesus prayed for them, saying, 
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do! He 
meant that they did not know how great their sin was in crucify- 
ing him, the Son of God— or how fearful the punishment would 
be. And they gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall. 
This was given to persons who were crucified to make them 
sleep, and feel their pains less. But when Jesus had tested 
it he would not drink, because he was suffering those pains for 
us, that we might be forgiven, and he was willing to bear them 
all. And with him they crucified two thieves, one on his right 
hand and the other on his left. 

Now persons who were crucified did not die at once; they 
lived for many hours, hanging on the cross. So Jesus, although 
he was crucified in the morning, hung in agony until the after- 
noon. And the soldiers who had crucified him, sat down and 
watched him there. They also took his garments and divided 
them among themselves; but for his coat they cast lots. And 
upon the cross, above his head, Pilate set up this writing, 
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 
These words, then, were read by many of the Jews, for the 
place where he was crucified was near the city. And those that 
passed by felt no pity for him, but shook their heads at him, 
saying, If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 
The chief priests and the scribes also mocked him, and said, 
He trusted in God, let God help him now if he will have him. 

And one of the thieves who were crucified with him spoke 
wickedly to Jesus, saying, If thou art the Christ, save thyself 




THE CRUCIFIXION 



617 



618 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

and us. But the other thief answered him, and said, Dost thou 
not fear God, seeing thou also art soon to die ? We deserve 
to die for our wicked acts, but this man has done nothing 
wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou 
comest into thy kingdom. Jesus answered him, To-day shalt 
thou be with me in Paradise. Jesus meant that his sins were 
forgiven, and that as soon as he should die, even on that 
very day, his soul would go to the happy place where Jesus 
himself was going. 

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and the 
apostle whom Jesus loved, who leaned on his breast at the table 
while they were eating the feast of the passover. And because 
he was going to die and leave her, Jesus wanted that apostle to 
take care of his mother. Therefore he told him to let her be 
the same to him, from that time, as if she were his*own mother. 
And he told his mother to let that apostle be to her as if he were 
her son. From that hour the apostle, whose name was John, 
took her to his own home to take care of her, and give her all 

that she needed. 

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the 
land till the ninth hour; that is, from twelve until three o'clock. 
When the sun shines brightest on other days, it was dark over 
all the land on that day. God sent the darkness because his 
Son was being put to death by wicked men. And about the 
ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, My God, My 
God, why hast thou forsaken me? He said this, because, as 
we believe, God seemed then to turn away from him, displeased, 
as our father turns away displeased from us when we have dis- 
obeyed him. Yet Jesus had not disobeyed God. But we have 
done so, and he was taking our blame upon himself. Therefore 
God turned away from him as though Jesus himself had sinned. 
And when Jesus saw this it grieved him more than all his suffer- 
ings, and he cried out. 

Then one of the men who were standing near, when he heard 
him cry, ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and 
lifted it up on a reed to his mouth, and gave him to drink. 
When Jesus, therefore, had taken the vinegar, he said, It is 



THE GOSPELS 619 

finished. He meant that the work which he had come to do, 
and the punishment which he had come to bear, for us, were 
finished. And he bowed his head and died. Then the curtain, 
called the veil, which hung in the temple, was torn in two from 
the top to the bottom ; the earth shook, the rocks were broken 
in pieces, and the graves were opened. Many of those persons 
who, while they lived, had served the Lord, arose and came out 
of their graves after Jesus himself had risen from the dead ; and 
they went into Jerusalem, and were seen by many there. 

When the Roman soldiers who were watching Jesus saw 
these things that were done, they feared greatly, and said, 
Surely this man was the Son of God. 



MATT. XXVII, XXVIII (27, 28). MARK XV, XVI (15, 16) 
LUKE XXIII, XXIV (23, 24). JOHN XIX-XXI (19-21). 
1 COR. XV (15). ACTS 1(1) 

THE THIEVES ARE PUT TO DEATH. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA BURIES JESUS. 
A WATCH IS SET AT THE SEPULCHRE. AN ANGEL ROLLS AWAY THE 
STONE FROM THE DOOR, AND JESUS RISES FROM THE DEAD. HE APPEARS 
TO HIS APOSTLES, AND ASCENDS TO HEAVEN. 

Now the Jews who were in the city did not know that 
Jesus was dead, and because the next day was the Sabbath, 
they were unwilling to let the bodies hang upon the cross on 
that day. Therefore they begged Pilate to send and kill Jesus, 
and the two thieves who were crucified with him, so that they 
could be taken down and buried before the Sabbath began. 
Then Pilate commanded the soldiers, and they went and broke 
the legs of the two thieves, to kill them, but when they came 
to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not 
his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, 
and there came out from it blood and water. 

At the place where Jesus was crucified was a garden, and in 
the garden a new sepulchre in which no one had ever been 
buried. It was a cave cut out of the rock, and belonged to a 
rich man named Joseph, who came from the city of Arimathea. 
Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, though he had never before let 
it be known, because he was afraid of the Jews. But now, after 



620 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Jesus was dead, he went boldly to Pilate and begged for his 
body. Then Pilate commanded that the body should be given 
him. Joseph took it down from the cross and wrapped it in 
new, fine linen that he had bought, and laid it in the sepul- 
chre. A great stone was rolled to the door and left there to 
close it. Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, the 
apostle, were sitting near the sepulchre and saw where Jesus 




THE BURIAL OF JESUS 



was laid. And they went away to rest during the Sabbath, 
intending to come back with spices and ointments to put upon 
his body; because the Jews, when they buried their dead, used 
to prepare the bodies in that way. 

After Jesus was buried, the chief priests and the Pharisees 
came to Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that while that de- 
ceiver was yet alive, he said, After three days I will rise again. 
We pray thee therefore that the sepulchre may be watched 
and made safe, until the third day, lest his disciples should 



THE GOSPELS 



621 



come in the night and steal him away, and then go and tell 
the people he had risen from the dead. Pilate answered, You 
shall have soldiers to guard the sepulchre, go and make it as 
sure as you can. So they went and made the sepulchre sure, 
setting soldiers to watch it, and sealing the stone that was rolled 
to the door. 

But that night the angel of the Lord came down from heaven, 




THE WOMEN AT THE SEPULCHRE 

and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His 
face was bright like lightning, and his garments were as white 
as snow; the soldiers trembled for fear of him, and were weak 
and helpless as dead men. And they left the sepulchre and 
went into the city again. 

But very early in the morning, as soon as it began to be 
light on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the 
other Mary, and Salome, came to the sepulchre, bringing the 
spices which they had made ready. As they were coming, they 



622 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

said one to another, Who shall roll away the stone for us from 
the door of the sepulchre? for it was very great. But when 
they came near, they found the stone was rolled away. And 
going into the sepulchre they saw an angel clothed in a long 
white garment, and they were affrighted. He said to them, Be 
not affrighted: You seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not 
here, he is risen. See the place where they laid him. But go 
tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead, and that he will 
go before you into Galilee ; there shall you see him. 

Then they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre with 
fear and yet with great gladness, and ran to bring his disciples 
word. As they went Jesus met them and spoke to them, say- 
ing, Rejoice. And they came and held him by the feet, and 
worshipped him. He said to them, Be not afraid; but tell my 
brethren that they go into Galilee; there shall they see me. 

And the women came and told all these things to the eleven 
apostles, and to the disciples who were with them. And Peter 
and John, when they heard what the women said, came in haste 
to the sepulchre. They ran both of them together, but John 
did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulchre; there stooping 
down and looking in at the door, he saw the linen clothes lying 
which Jesus had worn, yet he did not go in. But Peter, when 
he came, went into the sepulchre and saw the linen clothes, 
and the napkin which had been wrapt about the head of Jesus, 
not lying with the linen clothes, but folded together in a place 
by itself. Then John went in also, and he saw and believed 
that Jesus was risen. For before that time they did not under- 
stand the words which he had spoken to them while he was yet 
alive, saying that after three days he would rise from the dead. 
And the apostles went away to their own homes. 

Now after Jesus was risen, some of the soldiers who had 
guarded the sepulchre went to the chief priests, and told them 
of all that had happened. Then the chief priests and elders 
gave them a large sum of money, and said to them, Go you and 
tell the people that his disciples came at night, and stole him 
away while you slept. If the governor should hear of it and 
want to punish you for sleeping, (because the Roman soldiers 



THE GOSPELS 



623 



were put to death if they slept while on guard), we will persuade 
him to pardon you. So the soldiers took the money and did as 
the chief priests told them; therefore the Jews, since that time, 
have always said that the disciples of Jesus came and stole him 
away in the night, while the soldiers were asleep. 




JESUS MEETS THE DISCIPLES GOING TO EMMAUS 



On the first day of the week when Jesus was risen from the 
dead, two of his disciples were walking together to a village 
called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 
And they talked with one another of all the things that had 
been done. And it was so, that while they were talking, Jesus 
came near and went with them. But he was changed so that 
they did not know him. And he said to them, What is it that 
you are saying to one another as you walk, and are sad ? One 
of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering, said to him, Art 
thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, that thou hast not heard of 
the things which have happened there in these days? He 
said, What things? They answered him, Concerning Jesus of 



624 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



Nazareth, who was a prophet, and did great miracles before all 
the people ; how the chief priests and the rulers have taken him 
and crucified him. But we hoped that he was the one who 
would set the children of Israel free from the Romans; and 
beside all this, to-day is the third day since he was put to death. 
Yes, and some of the women who belong to our company, and 
who went early to the sepulchre, have made us astonished by 




JESUS WALKED ON AS THOUGH HE WOULD GO FURTHER 

saying that his body was not there, and that they saw a vision 
of angels who told them he was alive. Some of the men also 
who were with us, went afterward to the sepulchre and found 
it was as the women had said; but him they saw not. 

Then Jesus answered the two disciples, and told them that 
the things which had happened in Jerusalem seemed strange to 
them, because they did not understand what the prophets had 
written. For was it not to be expected, Jesus asked, from 



THE GOSPELS 



625 



what the prophets had said about Christ, that he should be 
put to death, and afterward would rise from the dead, and «o 
up to heaven ? Then he began and explained to them what 
was written about himself in all the Scriptures. But still the 
two disciples did not know him. 

And as they came near the village to which they were going 
he walked on, as though he would leave them and go further 
But they, supposing him to be some traveller, said to him Come 




THE DISCIPLES KNOW JESUS IN BREAKING THE BREAD 



and stay with us to-night, for it is near evening and the day has 
almost gone. Then he went with them into the house. And 
while they were at supper Jesus took bread, and after he had 
thanked God for it, he broke it and gave it to them. But as 
Jie did this they knew him; and suddenly he was gone out of 
their sight. 

Then they said to one another, Did not our hearts warm to 
him while he talked with us by the way, and explained to us 
what the prophets have written ? And they rose up that same 
hour and went back to Jerusalem; there they found the eleven 



626 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

apostles gathered together, and others with them. The two dis- 
ciples told them how they had seen Jesus, and talked with him, 
and how they had known him as he was breaking the bread. 
While they were speaking, Jesus himself stood in the midst of 
them, and said, Peace be unto you. But they were frightened, 
for they thought it was a spirit. Then he said to them, Why are 
you troubled ? And why does fear come into your hearts ? Look 
at my hands and my feet; touch me, and see that it is I, my- 
self, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see me have. 
When he had spoken these words he showed them his hands and 
his feet, with the marks of the nails in them. And while they 
could hardly believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them r Have 
you here any food ? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish 
and of an honey-comb, and he took it and did eat before them. 

Jesus said to them, I told you while I was yet with you 
that all those things must be fulfilled which are written in the 
Scriptures about me. Then he made the apostles understand 
those parts of the Scriptures which said he should die for the 
people, and rise again from the dead. For although they 
had read those parts before, they never, till now, had been 
able to understand them. 

And Jesus said to them, Thus it was written about me, and 
therefore it was needful for me to suffer death, and to rise up 
from the dead on the third day, so that the people of all nations 
might be told how I have died for them; and that if they will 
repent and believe on me, they shall have their sins forgiven. 
And you, my apostles, are the ones who know of these things; 
on that account I send you forth to tell the nations about them. 
Go you, therefore, into all the world and tell this good news to 
every creature. Whoever believes in me and is baptized, shall 
be saved; but he that believes not shall be lost. 

Now Thomas, one of the apostles, was not with the others 
when Jesus came. They therefore told him, afterward, that 
they had seen the Lord. But Thomas answered, Except I 
shall see in his hands the marks of the nails, and thrust my 
hand into the wound that the spear made in his side, I will 
not believe it was he. 



THE GOSPELS 



627 



Eight days afterward the apostles were again gathered to- 
gether, Thomas also being with them, and the doors of the 
room were shut. Then came Jesus and stood in the midst, and 




THOMAS BELIEVES 



said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither 
thy finger and touch my hands, and reach hither thy hand and 
thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believe that I 
have risen again. When Thomas heard his voice and knew 
than't was Jesus, he said, My Lord and my God. Jesus said 
to him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed; 
but I say unto thee, Blessed are those who are willing to believe 
even though they have not seen me. 

After these things Jesus showed himself again to his disci- 
ples at the sea of Galilee. There were together there Peter and 
Thomas, Nathaniel, James and John, and two other of his disci- 
ples. Peter said to them, I am going a-fishing. They answered, 
We will go with thee. They went, therefore, into a boat and 
sailed out on the sea, but that night caught nothing. When the 



628 



THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 



morning had come, Jesus stood on the shore ; but the disciples did 
not know it was Jesus. And he spoke to them, saying, Have 
you any food? They answered, No. He said, Cast the net on 
the right side of the boat and you shall find some. They did as 
he commanded and then were not able to draw up the net, be- 
cause of the multitude of fishes that were caught in it. 

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is 




JESUS APPEARS TO THE APOSTLES BY THE SEA OF GALILEE 

the Lord. When Peter heard it was the Lord, he fastened his 
fisherman's coat around him and cast himself into the sea, that he 
might hasten to the shore. The other disciples came in the boat, 
dragging the net with fishes. As soon as they had come to land 
they saw a fire burning there, and fishes laid upon it, and bread. 
Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish which you have caught. 
Then Peter went and drew the net up on the land, and it was 
full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three; yet, although 
there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to 



THE EPISTLES 695 

loved them so much as to send his only Son Jesus, to be pun- 
ished in their place. Yet not all of them are forgiven on this 
account, but only those who believe in Jesus. And how can 
we tell who believes in him ? For a person may say he believes 
when he does not. We can tell by the way he acts. If he 
believes in Jesus he will love him, and obey his commandments, 
that is, he will be a Christian. 

And we are told in the Epistles how Christians ought to live, 
and what sort of people they should be. They should be honest, 
industrious, sober, humble; good to the poor; kind to those who 
are unkind to them; speaking evil of no one; loving and for- 
giving one another; trying to persuade others to be Christians 
thankful for their blessings; patient when they have trouble 
full of joy, because they are saved; hating what is wicked, 
loving what is good ; earnest in prayer, striving in every word 
and act to please God. 

But Christians cannot do these things by themselves, for 
although they desire to do them, Satan is always tempting them 
to sin. He is their great enemy, who, we are told, is going 
about like a roaring lion, seeking to destroy them. Yet they 
have a friend who is stronger than he. For that same Jesus 
who came on the earth to die for them, now looks down from 
heaven and watches over them. He hears their prayers, and 
helps them to fight against Satan's temptations. And when 
they are overcome, and fall into sin, if they mourn and repent 
of it, he asks God to forgive them. 

He does more than this. Because they have no righteousness, 
nor goodness of their own, to make God pleased with them, he 
gives them his righteousness, and God counts it the same as if 
it were theirs, and as if they had never sinned. And at the last 
day God will accept all those who have this righteousness, and 
will take them up to heaven where Jesus is, and where they 
will never be tempted to sin any more. 

The Epistles tell us that as the end of the world draws near, 
there will be scoffers, or persons who mock at the Bible as though 
it were not true. They will say, If Jesus is coming again to 
judge the world, as the Bible says he is, why is he so long in 



696 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

coming? They will not believe the true reason — that God is 
waiting to give wicked men time to repent, because he is not 
willing that any should perish, but that all should repent of 
their sins and have everlasting life. 

But although God has waited so long; he will not wait always. 
For we are told that the day of the Lord, that is, the day of 
Judgment, shall come as a thief comes in the night, when no one 
is expecting it. Then the world, with its mighty kingdoms, 
its splendid cities, and all the great and beautiful things that 
men have made, will be burned up, but the people who have 
lived in it, will rise up out of their graves to be judged. And 
now, since God has told us of this, how careful we who are 
Christians should be to live holy lives, so that when the day 
of the Lord does come, and Jesus descends to the earth again, 
we may be ready to meet him. 

We have read in the Gospels, and in the book of the Acts, that 
Jesus is God, and that the Holy Ghost is God. We are taught this 
again in the Epistles. We are taught there that God the Father, 
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, are three persons who 
rule over all things. Yet they are not three Gods, but the three 
together are one God. We cannot understand this any more 
than we can understand how God never had any beginning, or 
how he is in every place at one time ; but we can believe it, be- 
cause the Bible tells us that it is so. It is God the Father who 
made us; it is God the Son who died for us; it is God the Holy 
Ghost who comes into our hearts and makes us love, and obey 
the Father and the Son— that is, who makes us Christians. We 
need not be afraid, therefore, of worshipping one more than the 
other, for they are all of them God. When we pray to Jesus, 
we pray to God. When we pray to the Holy Ghost, we pray 
to God. And when we pray to God, we pray to the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 



THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN 



697 



THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN 



The last Book in the Bible is called the Revelation. It was 
written by the Apostle John. One of the wicked emperors of 
Rome, being angry because he preached the gospel, sent John 
to a lonely island named Patmos. There, we are told, he was 




JOHN IN THE ISLAND OF PATMOS 

treated cruelly and made to work in the mines, though he was 
a very old man at the time. 

But while he was at Patmos the Saviour appeared to him, in 
a vision, and showed him those things that are written in the 
Book of Revelation. John says, I heard behind me a great 
voice like a trumpet, and I turned to see who it was that spoke 
to me, and saw Jesus clothed in a garment that reached down to 



698 THE STORY OF THE BIBLE 

his feet, and around his breast was a golden girdle. When John 
saw him he was afraid, and fell down like one dead; but Jesus 
laid his right hand upon him, saying, Fear not, I am he that 
was crucified; but, behold, I am alive again, and will live for- 
evermore. And Jesus talked with John, and gave him mes- 
sages to seven different churches in the land of Asia, and told 
him to write down the messages in a book, and send them to the 
seven churches for which they were intended. 

Afterward, John saw a door opened in heaven, and a voice 
called to him, saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee what 
will happen hereafter. And he heard the voices of a great mul- 
titude of angels praising the Saviour, and calling him The 
Lamb that was slain. Then, in the vision, John was shown many 
wonderful things, which were meant to teach him what would 
happen to Christians on the earth, from that time until the end 
of the w r orld. He was shown how wicked nations and kings 
would persecute them, and kill them, hoping that none of them 
might be left. But he was shown also how the Lord would de- 
stroy those nations and kings, and save his people, so that at 
last no enemy could hurt them. 

After this John saw a great white throne in heaven, and 
Jesus sat upon it. And he saw the dead risen up from their 
graves; and they came and stood before the throne to be judged. 
Then the books were opened in which was written down every- 
thing they had done while they were living on the earth. And 
they were judged out of the books according to what was written 
there. And another book was opened, called the book of life, 
in which were written the names of those who had believed in 
Jesus. And whoever had not his name written in the book of 
life, was cast into the lake of fire. 

And after the Judgment was past, John saw new skies, and 
a new earth, for the earth and the skies that had been there before, 
were burned up. And he saw a beautiful city, called the New 
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, and heard a voice, say- 
ing, God is coming to live with men. Around the city was a 
great and high wall, with twelve gates. At each gate was an 
angel to guard it. The city was built of pure gold; in its walls 



THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN 699 

were all kinds of precious stones, and its gates were made of 
pearls. There was no need of sun or moon to lighten it, for God 
was there, and the Lord Jesus, and the glory that shone around 
them made it light. The people whom Jesus had saved out of 
all nations were to come and live in it. The gates should never 
be shut, for there will be no night there. And none of the 
wicked shall go into it, but only those whose names are written 
in the Lamb's book of life. 

And John saw also a pure River of water, called the water of 
life. By its side, as it flowed through the streets of the city, 
grew the tree of life, that bore twelve different kinds of fruit 
which ripened every month. And those who shall live in the 
city and drink of the waters of the River, and eat of the fruits 
of the tree of life, shall see the Lord's face and be with him and 
serve him. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and 
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither 
shall there be any more pain, for all these things will have passed 
away forever. And Jesus spoke to John, saying, Blessed are 
those who obey God's commandments, that they may enter in 
through the gates into the city. 



INDEX 



AARON meets Moses, 98: consecrated 
High-Priest, 133 ; makes the golden calf, 
125; his rod blossoms, 157; sins at the 
rock, 159 ; dies on Mount Hor, 160 

Abdon, 207 

Abednego, 438, 444 

Abel, 13-15 

Abia, course of, 500 

Abiathar, 269, 280 

Abigail, 271-274 

Abihu, 136 

Abijah, 381 

Abimelech, 201-204 

Abinadab, 242, 286 

Abiram, 154-156 

Abishai, 275, 276, 298, 304 

Abner, 264, 276 

Abraham, 25-46 

Absalom, 295-303 

Achan, 183, 184 

Achish, 267, 279 

Adam, 10-15 

Adonijah, 309 

Adullam, cave of, 267 

Agabus, 656 

Agrippa, 685-688 

Ahab, 331-348 

Ahasuerus, 469-479 

Ahaz, 398-400 

Ahaziah, king of Israel, 348, 349 

Ahaziah, king of Judah, 388 

Ahimaaz, 302, 303 

Abimelech, 266-269 

Ahio, 286 

Ahithophel, 299, 300 

Aholiab, 125, 129, 131 

Ai, 182-185 

Alexander, 491 

Altar, 13, 14 

Altar of Burnt-offering, 122, 131 

Altar of Incense, 124, 131 

Amalekites, 117, 118, 252 

Amaziah, idol's priest, 375 

Amaziah, king of Judah, 392-394 

Ammon, king of Judah, 413 

Amos, 374-376 

Amram, 92 

Ananias, a disciple of Damascus, 647 

Ananias, husband of Sapphira, 635, 636 

Andrew, 515 

Angels, 31, 36, 197, 501, 515/582, 621 

Animals, clean and unclean, 136 

Anna, 506 

Anoint, 124, 1&3, 246, 254 

Anointing the head, 540 

Antioch, in Pisidia, 660 

Antiocb, in Syria, 656, 659, 664 

Antiochus, 491 

Apollonius, 492 

Apostles, names of, 532 

A qui la, 671 

Ararat, 20 

Arauuah, 306, 307 

Ark, 16-23 ; of the Covenant, 122, 130 

Armor-bearer, 251, 282 

Artaxerxes I., 460; II., 463; III., 481 

Asa, 381-384 

Asenath, 72 
700 



Ashdod, 239, 240 
Ashtaroth, 193 
Assyrians, 376-379 
Athaliab, 388-390 
Athens, 669 
Atonement, day of, 138 



BAAL, first mentioned, 193 
Baalzebub, 348, 349 
Baasha, 329, 330 
Babel, 24 

Babylon, 410, 428, 438-456 
Balaam, 161-166 
Balak, 161-165 
Baptism, by John, 512, 513 
Baptism, by the Holy Ghost, 513 
Barabbas, 612 
Barak, 195, 196 
Barnabas, 649, 656, 659, 662 
Bartimeus, 585 
Baruch, 418, 419 
Barzillai, 300, 304 
Bashan, 169 
Bathsheba, 290-295 
Beersheba, 38 
Belshazzar, 449-453 
Benhadad, 341-343, 346-348, 365, 368 
Benjamin is born, 63 
Benjamin is taken to Egypt, 78-84 
Berea, 668 
Bernice, 686 
Bethany, 568 
Bethel, 51, 61, 62, 328 
Bethesda, 529 

Bethlehem, first mentioned, 63 
Bethlehem, Jesus to be born there, 411 
Bethshemesh, 241 
Bethuel, 44 
Bezaleel, 125, 129-131 
Birthright, 46, 47, 49 
Blasphemer, 142 
Boaz, 219-223 
Book of the Law, 175 
Books, ancient form of, 414 
Booth, 61, 140, 488, 489 
Brazen serpent, 160, 161 
Breast-plate, 124 
Bricks, 98, 99 
Burning bush, 96 
Burnt-offering, 134 



p^ESAR, 614, 615, 685, 686 

^ Caiaphas, 607 

Cain, 13-15 

Caleb, 154, 165 

Calvary, 616-618 

Camels, 43, 480 

Camp, plan of, 147, 148 

Cana, 515, 521 

Canaan, first mentioned, 25 

Capernaum, 523 

Carmel, 337 

Cave of Adullam, 267 

Cave where David spared Saul, 270 

Censer, 135, 136 

Centurion, 538, 688-690 



INDEX 



701 



Chaldeans, 420,421 

Chief priests, .557 

Children blessed by Jesus, 584, 585 

Christians, first so-called, 656 

Cleopas, 623 

Consecrate, 124, 133 

Cornelius, 651-655 

Courses of priests appointed, 308 

Covenant, 38 

Creation, 7-10 

Cushi, 302, 303 

Cyprus, 660 

Cyrus predicted, 397 

Cyrus reigns, 457-461 

"T)AGON, 217 

- Ly JDagon falls before the Ark, 239 

Damascus, 368, 398 

Daniel chosen by Nebuchadnezzar, 438; in- 
terprets the king's dreams, 141-443, 4JS, 
449; interprets the writing on the wall, 
4o0, 452; is cast into the den of lions, 454- 
456 ; prays for the return of the Jews, 456 

Darius I. 453-456; II., 460-462 

Dathan, 154-156 

David anointed, 254; kills Goliath, 259; is 
pursued by Saul, 266-277; is king of Is- 
rael, 285-310 ; dies, 311 

Deacons appointed, 639 

Deborah, 195, 196 

Delilah, 212-215 

Demetrius, 673 

Derbe, 663 

Diana, 672, 673 

Disciple, 515 

Doeg, 268, 269 

Dorcas, 649 

Doth an, 64, 364 

Dress, 66 

Drusilla, 684 



T?DEN, 9, 10 
-^ Edora, 62, 159 
Ehud, 194, 195 
Elah, 330 

Eleazer, Elder, 492, 493 
Eleazer, High-Priest, 160, 165 
Eli is High-Priest, 233 
Eli dies, 239 

Elijah fed during the famine, 332; slays 
Baal's prophets, 337 ; flees from Jezebel, 
340; calls down fire from heaven, 349; is 
taken to heaven, 351 
Elim, 113 

Elisha called, 340 ; curses the mocking chil- 
dren, 352; inquired of by Jeroboam, 354; 
multiplies the widow's oil, 355 ; raises the 
Slumamite's child, 358; heals Naaman, 
360, 361 ; speaks with king Jehoash, 372 ; 
dies, 374 
Elizabeth, 500, 503 
Elkanah, 233 
Elon, 207 
Elymas, 660 
Embalming, 90 
Emmaus, 623 
Endor, witch of, 277, 278 
Eneas, 650 
Enoch, 16 
Ephesus, 672-675 
Ephron, 41 
Esau, 46-51, 57-62 
Eschol, 152 
Esther, 469-480 
Euphrates, 446 
Eutychus raised to life, 674 
Eve, 10-13 
Evil spirits, 255, 262 



Ezekiel, book of, 428-437 

Ezekiel, vision of the valley of dry bones, 

43b 
Ezra, 457-467 



TpAIK HAVENS, 688 

- 1 - Fall of man, 12, 13 

Familiar spirits, 277 

Famine, 29, 71, 73-83 

Feast of harvest, 140 ; of passover, 107-110 ; of 

tabernacles, 140 ; of trumpets, 487 
Felix, 682-684 
Festus, 684-688 
First-fruits, 174 
Fleece, Gideon's, 198 
Flood, 16-23 



( 



21 ABRIEL, 456, 500, .501 

J Gad, prophet, 267, 307 
Gamaliel, 638 
Gates, 213, 223 
Gath, 240, 256, 266, 277 
Gaza 212, 645 
Gedaliah,424 

Gehazi, 356-358, 362, 367, 368 
Gibeonites, 185, 186 
Gideon, 196-201 
Gilboa, Mount, 282 
Gleaning, 219, 220 
Golden calf, Aaron's, 125; calves, Jeroboam's, 

325 ; candlestick, 122, 130 
Goliath, 256-259 

Gomorrah, destruction of, 32-34 
Goshen, 85-87 
Gospel, 525 



TTAGAR, 29, 36, 37 
J - L Haggai, 460 
Hailstones, 104. 187 
Haman, 471-478 
Hands, laying on of, 639, 659 
Hannah, 233-236 
Hazael, 368, 372 
Hebrews, 100 

Hebron, David crowned there, 285 
Hebron, first named, 40 

Herod the Great is made king, 496; rebuilds 
the temple, 496; slays the children, 508; 
the tetrarch beheads John, 519; mocks 
Christ, 611; Agrippa persecutes the 
Church, 656; Agrippa dies, 6-59 
Herodias, 519 
Hezekiah, 400-411 
Hiram, 286 

Holy Spirit sent into David's heart, 255; 
promised to the Jews, 437; promised to 
all who ask, 566 ; the baptism of, 513 ; our 
Guide and Comforter, 604; renews our 
hearts, 570, 696 
Hophni, 236-239 
Hor, Mount, 160 
Horeb, 95, 117 
Hosea, 376 
Hoshea, 377, 378 
Houses, 526, 527 
Huldah, 414 
Hur, 118 
Hushai, 299, 300 



TBZAN, 207 

L Iconium, 661, 662 

Incense, 124 

Isaac, 34, 41, 47-52, 62 

Isaiah, 397-410 

Ishmael, Abraham's son, 29, 36, 37 

Ishmael, prince of Judah, 426 



702 



INDEX 



Ishbosheth, 284, 285 

Israel, Jacob's new name, 58 

Israel, kingdom of, ended, 379 



TABESH-GILEAD, 247, 282 
" Jacob, his birth, 46 : his dream, 51 ; re- 
turns from Laban's house, 55; wrestles 

with the angel, 59 ; goes down into Egypt, 

85; death of, 89 
Jael, 195,196 
Jair, 204 

James killed by Herod, 656 
James, the Apostle, is called, 523, 524 
Jason, 668 
Jehoahaz, king of Judah, 418; king of Israel, 

372 
Jehoash, 372-374 
Jehoiachin, 418 
Jehoiada, 390, 391 
Jehoiakim, 418, 419 
Jehoram, king of Israel, 352, 367-370 
Jehoram, king of Judah, 388 
Jehoshaphat, 346-348, 384-387 
Jehu, 369-372, 388 
Jephthah, 205-207 
Jeremiah, 417-427 
Jericho, 177-182, 585 
Jeroboam, king of Israel, 322-330 
Jeroboam II., king of Israel, 374-376 
Jerusalem taken by David, 285; destroyed 

by Nebuchadnezzar, 424 ; rebuilt by Ne- 

hemiah, 483 ; taken by the Romans, 495 
Jesse, 253, 254 
Jesus Christ is born, 505 

goes to Jerusalem, 510 

baptized by John, 513 

tempted by Satan, 514 

changes the water to wine, 516 

heals the nobleman's son, 522 

heals Peter's wife's mother, 525 

heals leprosy, 525, 585 

heals a paralytic man, 528 

heals a man on the Sabbath, 530 

heals a woman on the Sabbath, 575 

heals centurion's servant, 538 

rebukes Peter, 560 

rebukes his disciples for wanting to be 
great, 557, 560, 600 

promises the Holy Spirit to all who ask, 
569 

raises the widow's son, 539 

raises the ruler's daughter, 551 

raises Lazarus, 574 

anointed at Simon's house, 541 

stills the tempest, 548 

feeds the multitude, 553, 558 

is transfigured, 561 

heals the blind, 552, 558, 570, 586 

heals the deaf, 558 

casts out evil spirits, 548, 550, 558, 562 

cleanses the temple, 517 

chooses the twelve apostles, 532 

chooses seventy disciples, 570 

enters Jerusalem in triumph, 588 

eats the Passover, 602 

washes the Apostles' feet, 601 

institutes the Lord's Supper, 603 

goes to Gethsemane, 605 

brought before Caiaphas, 607 

brought before Pilate, 610 

brought before Herod, 611 

is scourged, 612 

is mocked, 611 

is crucified, 616 

laid in the sepulchre, 620 

rises the third day, 621, 622 

appears to the women, 622 

appears to disciples, 623-630 

ascends to heaven, 629 



Jethro, 94, 95, 98 

Jezebel, 331, 335, 338, 343-345, 370 

Jezreel, 197, 344, 371 

Joab, 295, 300, 303-306 

Joash, 388-392 

Job, 223-229 

Jochebed, 92 

John the Baptist predicted, 398; born, 503; 
preaches repentance, 511 ; is beheaded, 
520 

John, the Apostle, is called, 523 ; at the Cross, 
618 ; at the sepulchre, 622 ; goes with Peter 
to the temple, 632 

Jonah, 229-233 

Jonathan, 249-252, 260-265, 282 

Joppa, 229, 650 

Jordan, first mentioned, 26 

Joseph, husband of Mary, 503-511 

Joseph of Arimathea, 619 

Joseph tells his dreams, 63 ; sold into Egypt, 
65 ; made ruler over Egypt, 72 ; dies, 90 ; 
is buried in Canaan, 192 

Joshua appointed ruler over Israel, 177; 
fights with the Amalekites, 117; goes 
with Moses up Mount Sinai, 121; spies 
out the land of Canaan, 153 ; takes Jeri- 
cho, 182 ; dies, 192 

Josiah, his birth predicted, 326 

Josiah reigns over Judah, 413-418 

Jot-ham, 396-398 

Jubilee, 143 

Judah, son of Jacob, 65, 78, 81 

Judas Iscariot objects to the anointing of 
Jesus, 598 ; Satan enters into, 602 ; betrays 
Christ, 607 ; hangs himself, 615 

Judges, 193 

Judgment Day, 596 



KEDRON, 297 
Keilah, 269 
Kirjath-jearim, 242, 286 
Kish, 244 
Korah, 154-157 



T ABAN, 44, 45, 5:3-56 

-LJ Laver, 125, 132 

Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, 573- 

575 
Lazarus, the beggar, 580-582 
Leah, 53 

Leprosy, 97, 136, 137 
Levites, 127, 145, 146, 158, 168 
Lot, 32-34 
Lydia, 665, 668 
Lystra, 662, 665 

"A/TACCABEES, 494, 495 

1VJ - Macedonia, 665 

Machpelah, cave of, 41, 90 

Magicians, 100-102 

Mahanaim, 300 

Man created, 9, 10 

Manasseh, king of Judah, 411-4ir 

Manasseh, son of Joseph, 73 

Manna sent, 114-116 

Manna ceases, 180 

Manoah, 207, 208 

Marah, 113 

Mark, 658-660,665 

Mars' Hill, 670 

Martha, 568, 573-575, 597 

Mary, 568, 573-575, 597 

Mary Magdalene, 621 

Mary, the Virgin, is promised a son, 502; 

Jesus is born of, 504 ; is committed to the 

care of John, 618 
Matthew, 529 



INDEX 



703 



Matthias, 631 

Meals, reclining at, 598 

Melchizedek, 27, 28 

Melita, 691 

Menahern, 376 

Mephibosheth, 290 

Mercy-seat, 122, 132 

Meshach, 438-446 

Messiah expected by the Jews, 557, 559 

Methuselah, 16 

Micah, 411 

Micaiah, 346, 347 

Michal, 262, 263 

Midian. 94, 95 

Midiamtes, 165, 166 

Miletus, 674 

Miriam, 150, 151, 158 

Mitre, 123 

Moabites, 162 

Molech, 139 

Mordecai, 469-480 

Moriah,38, 308 

Moses, from birth to flight into Midian, 92- 
96; calls down the plagues on Egypt, 
100-110; receives the Law, 119; leads Is- 
raelites from Sinai to Canaan, 147-175; 
death of, 176, 177 

Most holy place, 137 

Murmur, the Israelites, 113, 116, 125, 148, 153, 
161 

"VTAAMAN, 359-362 

x> Nabal, 271-274 

Naboth, 343-345 

Nadab, king of Israel, 329 

Nadab, son of Aaron, 136 

Nain, 539 

Naomi, 218-223 

Nathan. 292, 293 

Nathaniel, 515 

Nazareth, 502, 509, 510, 522 

Nazarite, 212 

Nebo, 176 

Nebuchadnezzar, 418, 420, 428, 438-450 

Nehemiah, 481-490 

Nero 693 

Nicodemus, 517, 518 

Nile, 171 

Nineveh, 229-233 

Noah, 16-23 

Nob, 269 



QBADIAH, 335 
w Obededom, 287 
Og, 169 
Olive oil, 141 
Omri, 331 
Orpah, 218 
Othniel, 193, 194 



pAPHOS, 660 

-■- Parables : of the two houses, 536 

of the rich man who built larger barns, 

of the sower, 544 
of the tares, 546 
of the mustard-seed, 547 
of the merchant-man seeking pearls, 547 
of the fishermen with their nets, 547 
of the king taking account of his ser- 
vants, 564 
of the good Samaritan. 567 
of the great supper, 576 
of the lost sheep, 578 
of the piece of silver, 578 
of the prodigal son, 578-580 
of the rich man and Lazarus, 580-582 



Parables : of the unjust judge, 583 

of the Pharisee and Publican, 583, 584 
of the vineyard, 589, 590 
of the marriage-feast, 591 
of the ten virgins, 593, 594 
of the talents, 595 
Paran, wilderness of, 148, 154, 271 
Passover, 107-109, 140, 599 

Paul assists in the stoning of Stephen, 643 ; 
is converted on the way to Damascus, 
647 ; starts on first missionary journey, 
659; is cast into prison at Philippi, 666; 
goes to Athens, 669; arrested at Jeru- 
salem, 678 ; sent to Rome, 68« ; death of, 
693 
Peace-offering, 135 
Pekah, 376, 377 
Pekahiah, 376 
Peniel, 58 
Pentecost, 140, 631 
Peor, 165 
Perga, 660 

Peter is brought by Andrew to Jesus, 515 ; 
Avalks on the water to Jesus, 555 ; takes 
money from a fish's mouth, 562 ; cuts off 
the ear of Malchus, 607 ; denies his Mas- 
ter, 608 ; enters the tomb of Jesus, 622 ; 
preaches on day of Pentecost, 632; heals 
the lame man, 633; has a vision, 652; is 
delivered from prison by the Angel, 656 ; 
death of, 693 
Pharaoh, king during Joseph's life, 66-90; 
king when Moses fled to Midian, 91-94; 
king when Israelites fled from Egvpt, 
96-113 
Pharisees, 526,583 
Philip, the Apostle, 515 
Philip, the Deacon, 644-646, 677 
Philippi, 665 

Philistines, first mentioned, 37 
Phinehas, High-Priest, 191 
Phinehas, son of Eli, 236-239 
Pillar of cloud, 111, 133, 148 
Plagues of Egypt, 100-109 
Pomegranate, 123 
Pontius Pilate, 610-621 
Porch, Solomon's, 497, 572 
Potiphar, 66, 67 
Pottage, 47 
Priests. 123-132 
Priests* robes, 123 124 
Priests, work of, 500 
Priscilla, 671 
Publicans, 528 
Publius, 692 
Pul, 376 



Q 



UAILS sent 114, 150 
Queen of Sheba, 320 



EACHEL, 52-56,61, 62 
Rahab, 177, 178, 181, 182 
Rainbow, 23 
Ramah, 244, 263 
Ramoth-Gilead, 369 
Rebekah, 43-46, 49-51 
Red Sea, 112, 113 
Refuge, cities of, 172, 189 
Rehoboam, 322-324, 380, 381 
Rending the clothes, 66 
Reuben, 64, 65, 75 
Rhoda, 658 
Rock at which Moses and Aaron sinned, 

158 
Rod of Moses. 97 
Rods brought by the twelve tribes to Moses, 

157 
Roof, 178, 527 



7°4 



INDEX 



QABBATH, 9, 119, 154 

*° Sabbath year, 143 

Sackcloth, 66 

Sacrifice abolished, 664 

Sacrifice, explanations of, IS, 14, 134 

Sacrifices, morning and evening, 124, 134 

Sadducees, 634 

Salamis, 660 

Salome, 519 

Samaria built, 331 

Samaritans, 459^162, 566 

Samson, 207-217 

Samuel born, 234; the Lord speaks to, 237; 
judge, 242-248; dies, 271 

Sanballat, 482-486 

Sandals, 30 

Sanhedrim, 609, 680 

Sapphira, 635-637 

Sarah, 25-29, 32, 34-36, 40, 41 

Saul, king, anointed by Samuel, 246; rejected 
by the Lord, 255 ; pursues David, 263-278 ; 
kills himself, 282 

Saviour promised, 13, 14, 397, 411 

Scourging, 612 

Scribes, 526 

Scriptures, 522 

Sepulchres, 41 

Sermon on the Mount, 532-536 

Serpent, brazen, 160, 161 

Serpent in Eden, 10-12 

Shadrach, 438-446 

Shallurn, 376 

Shamgar, 195 

Shecaniah, 466 

Shew-bread, 141 

Shiloh, first mentioned, 188, 189, 191, 192 

Shimei, 298, 304 

Sbinar, 24 

Shushan, 468 

Silas, 663-668 

Simeon, son of Jacob, 76, 79 

Simeon, the aged disciple, 506 

Simon Magus," 644 

Simon the Pharisee, 540 

Sinai, 118, 119, 121, 125-128, 148 

Sisera, 195, 196 

Sodom, 26, 27, 31-34 

Solomon is born, 295; ascends the throne, 
311; his judgment, 313; builds and dedi- 
cates the Temple, 313-318 ; worships idols, 
322; dies, 322 

Sons of the prophet, 350, 352, 355 

Spies, 74, 76, 151-154, 177, 178, 189 

Stephen, 639-643 

Stoning, 142, 154 

Sun commanded to stand still, 187 

Synagogues, 522 



rpABERNACLE, description of, 121-125 
- 1 - Tabernacle reared, 132, 133 



Table of shew-bread, 122, 130 

Tarsus, 650, 678 

Task-masters, 91 

Taxes, 528 

Temple, Solomon's, built and dedicated, 313- 
318; Solomon's, described, 316-319; Solo- 
mon's, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, 
424; Zerubbabel's, founded, 4585 Zerub- 
babel's, completed, 462; Herod's, de- 
scribed, 496. 497 

Ten commandments, 119, 120 

Ten tribes scattered, 379 

Thessalonica, 668 

Thomas, 626, 627 

Three Taverns, 691 

Threshing-floor, 222 

Timnath, 210, 211 

Timothy, 665 

Tobiah, 482-486 

Tola, 204 

Town clerk, 674 

Trinity, doctrine of, 696 

Troas,665 

Tribes of Israel named, 145 

Trumpets, Feast of, 487 

Trumpets of silver made, 147 

Two and a half tribes, 167, 190, 191 



TTNLEAVENED bread, 108, 140 
U Ur, 24 
Uriah, 290-293 
ITz, 223 

TJzzah, 286, 287 
Uzziah, 394, 396 



T^ASHTI, 468, 469 
* Venison, 49, 50 



WALLED cities, 32 
AVashing the feet, 30 
Wells, 37 

Widow's mite, 592 
Winnow, 223 
Wise men, 506, 507 



7ACCHEUS, 586, 587 

^ Zachariah, king of Israel, 37b 

Zacharias, priest, 500-504 

Zarephath, 332 

Zechariah, priest, 391, 392 

Zedekiah, 420, 422, 424 

Zerubbabel, 458-461 

Ziklag, 280, 283, 284 

Zimri, 330, 331 

Zion, Mount, 285 

Ziphites, 270, 274 



Interesting and Popular Books. 



HPHE "Story of the Bible," by Charles Foster, is the most 
A widely known and generally used easy-reading version of the 
Bible published. It gives the Bible in a continuous, interesting story, 
with the difficult passages made plain, and the events told in their 
proper historical order. The words differ as little as possible from 
the Bible itself, but in their clearness and simplicity have a charm of 
their own. While of fascinating interest to the young, it is quite as 
much used and appreciated by those of riper years. 

This book and others by the same author, form a graduated 
series adapted to the understanding of readers of every age, down to 
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is often said that more can be learned from them in a comparatively 
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Charles Foster Publishing Co., 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



THE 

STORY OF THE BIBLE 

From Genesis to Revelation. 



TOLD IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE ADAPTED TO ALL AGES, 
BUT ESPECIALLY TO THE YOUNG 



By CHARLES FOSTER 

704 Pages ; 300 Illustrations, Size, €>% x 9 inches 



(MORE THAN 700,000 SOLD) 



THIS book has been proved by the unfailing test of time and by its 
very general use, not only in homes, but in schools and institutions 
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confusing, and the versified form unfamiliar to the eye. Many per- 
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than any records that have come down to us through the ages. 

The " Story of the Bible " is a wonderfully complete, easy- 
reading version in which the style and flow of narration of the Bible 
itself is closely followed, freed from all that is obscure and all that 
might be misunderstood. 

Charles Foster Publishing Co., 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



To write a complete and worthy simple version of so great and 
complex a book (or series of books) as the Bible was an undertaking 
of peculiar difficulty-how difficult only those who have made f 
study of ,t can know. The work was first begun by the author 

of iThihlr UU rea,,2atI ° n ° f itS ma S ni ^.'» l-eparing portTons 
of the Bible for his own use as parent and teacher. Gradually be- 
coming convinced of the importance and general usefulness of such a 
book, he threw himself into the task of preparing it with enthusiastic 
single ..hearted devotion, and made it his life work. For fif^ny^'s 
he labored in the painstaking toil of its production, sparing nei her 
time nor study ln his effort to give a faithful rendering^ "ve^ part 
of the Bible adapted to the purpose, sometimes dayAeing spent i 
perfecting a single passage. At last the book was finished and I h is 
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the Scriptures m plain and easy words, and to maintain throughout a 
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of the sacred volume itself. language 

The work of the author did not end with the first manuscript 
Successive printings, made necessary by the great demand for itTas 
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type no less than three times. The present latest revised and ,11 us 

recS It^,/ y h \ foUrth in , Which th£ bo ° k has been altog eth r 
recast. It will thus be seen that more time, patient effort as well as 

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a purpose. As a result, its fulness, general accuracy, and consden 

co,ifi S de e nce. ennS ° f "* BiMe ^ * ^ U P°" a » d accepted with 

THREE HUNDRED PICTURES of unusual artistic merit and in- 
terest illustrate almost every important Bible scene and incident 
All these pictures are either original designs made for the book 
or redrawn and engraved for it, at a cost of thousands of dollars 
1 hey are copyrighted, and give this book a peculiar distinction and 

Inne e a r UP T7° r K° 1°^ '" 7*°? c ° mmonl y us <=d photo-reproduet.ons 
appear. The beautiful colored plates have been taken from large 

HlC^ *k P ublish f rs : As the pictures in the "StoIv 

tacj of f , f Ve bee " made for tt - the y P° ssess the g rea ' advan- 
tage of adequately representing the scenes described in the text 

they may be said to illustrate almost every step of the way. 

So widely is the "Story of the B IB le " known, and so much 
and seTom ,' that . more thfn 700,000 copies have been printed 
fncreased " ' ge aS * is> ' S bdng c ™^y 



Charles FosterhMishing Co., 716 Sanson, Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



STORY OF THE GOSPEL 

OR 

OUR SAVIOUR'S LIFE ON EARTH 



Told in words easy to read and understand 



By CHARLES FOSTER 

366 Pages ; 150 Illustrations. Size, 5% x 1 j4, inches 



AFTER publishing the " Story of the Bible," the author received 
many requests that he should write another similar book on 
the New Testament alone. Convinced of the need and useful- 
ness of such a work, he undertook its production, being aided in 
writing it by the experience he had gained in preparing the first- 
named, larger volume. 

The " Story of the Gospel," thus begun and finally brought 
to completion, is an easy-reading version of the Gospels in one 
continuous story; with such elementary instruction as is needful to 
enable children from eight to twelve years of age, to understand 
the principles of the Christian faith. It is not by any means a repe- 
tition of a portion of the " Story of the Bible," but is an entirely sepa- 
rate and distinct work — still easier to read and understand — and 
intended for younger readers. 

That this book fulfills the purpose for which it is intended is 
proved by the great demand for it, which has required more than two 
hundred thousand copies to be printed. It is used in homes and in 
schools with equal advantage, and has been selected by several mis- 
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students in various parts of the world. All the incidents of the Gos- 
pel story and the Life of Christ are told in the simplest manner, in- 
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than is necessary to make clear the meaning and moral significance 
of the incidents as they are narrated. 

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lessen the labors of conscientious parents and teachers. A large 
number of illustrations are helpful in making clear the story, there 
being one hundred and fifty of these pictures, which represent all the 
principal scenes in the Gospels. 



Charles Foster Publishing Co., 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



FIRST STEPS 

FOR LITTLE FEET IN GOSPEL PATHS 



By CHARLES FOSTER 

328 Pages ; 148 Illustrations. Size, 5^x7^ Inches 



THIS book is for very little children— to give them their first re- 
ligious teaching and earliest knowledge of the Bible. It is 
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principles of the Christian faith. 

In the opening chapters the meaning and moral of the lessons are 
first made clear, by using in the stories and pictures things familiar in 
the daily lives of children, such as birds and flowers, bees and butter- 
flies, sunshine and rain (these, for example, being selected to illustrate 
the divine power, which creates and watches over all things great and 
small). Continuing, the Bible stories are gradually brought in, com- 
mencing with the Old Testament— briefly given— followed by the 
Gospels in fuller form, being the larger part of the book. Thus the 
children readily grasp an outline of the Bible from its very beginning, 
and later on become familiar with the chief incidents in the Life of 
Christ. At the end of each chapter a list of questions is printed, 
which are so easy that the little learners can answer them without 
difficulty. As with other books of this series, the illustrations have 
been drawn with great care, under the direction of the author, to 
represent the scenes as they are described in the text. There are 
one hundred and forty-eight of these pictures. 

Mothers of young children, and teachers of infant classes and 
kindergarten, who have often wished for a book containing moral 
and religious teaching in so plain and simple a form that no further 
explanation would be required, find " First Steps " perfectly adapted 
to their needs. Many thousands of them are being thus used, and 
wherever it is introduced, it is found to be so helpful an assistant as 
to be almost indispensable. 



Charles Foster Publis hing Co., 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



BIBLE PICTURES 

AND 

WHAT THEY TEACH US 



A book containing 400 engravings ; 320 pages ; size 8x10 inches. 

Fully illustrating the Old and New Testaments ; 

With brief descriptions. 



By CHARLES FOSTER 



THIS beautiful book contains 400 pictures of all the principal 
scenes in the Bible which are suitable for illustration. It is 
probably one of the most complete and interesting collections 
ever brought together in a work of this kind, and is found to be a 
never-failing source of entertainment and instruction in the many 
homes in which it is used. 

The object of this book is to enable young people, and persons 
of every age, to acquire familiarity with Bible scenes and incidents 
with ease and pleasure, through the excellent series of illustrations. 

Accompanying the pictures, and printed beside them in large, 
plain type, are short descriptions of every one of the scenes portrayed, 
so that the picture and the explanation of it meet the eye at the 
same time and can be studied together. There are hundreds of these 
interesting short stories, each one complete in itself — and accompan- 
ied by a picture — thus affording an opportunity for easy reading or 
for teaching, delightful as well as practical. 

The book is an ideal one for children, and is valued by older 
persons as well, who appreciate the artistic engravings and interesting 
descriptions. They bring before the eyes those stirring events of the 
Bible story which carry their lesson for all time, and lasting impres- 
sions are often made by them which cast their influence over future 
years. 

It has been very difficult to obtain so large a number of pictures 
of the' high standard required for a book of this kind. Indeed, illus- 
trations of Bible subjects present peculiar difficulties to the artist, who 
must preserve freedom and vigor of style in order to give life and 
reality to his design, but should at the same time maintain a certain 
dignity and reverence for their sacred character. Many of the pictures 
are reproduced from designs by celebrated foreign artists, and a large 
number are by artists in this country, drawn under the direction of the 
author. The book is most carefully printed on fine paper and is 
handsomely bound. 



Charles Foster Publishing Co., 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



BIBLE MODELS 

By REV. RICHARD NEWTON, D.D. 

536 pages; 100 illustrations. Size, (>% x S,'/ 2 inches 



TTHE author of " Bible Models " was for many years rector of 
1 one of the principal churches in Philadelphia. Besides occupy- 
ing a position of great influence in the ministry, he was noted as 
an effective and popular lecturer, especially to young people and for 
his ability to inspire habits of thought and rules of conduct essential to 
right living and happiness. There are doubtless thousands of persons 
who preserve grateful remembrance of him and of his excellent and 
interesting discourses. It was not unusual for him to speak to as 
many as five hundred children at one time, and frequentlyfon special 
occasions, even larger audiences assembled to hear him 

No urging ever was necessary to get young people to come to 
Dr. Newton s lectures, for his unequalled resources of anecdote and 
story collected during a long and active life, were so delightful so 
aptly illustrated the Bible lessons, and made them so intere ting that 
they were eagerly listened to and never found too long. He had a 
wonderful gift for graphic description, which enabled him to make the 
scenes and characters drawn from the Bible seem almost real and 
present, while he illustrated the lessons so effectively with many 

m3of hirers * " * ***"" *"* 1*™** upon tZ 
"Bible Models " was prepared by Dr. Newton in order to pre- 
serve m literary form many of the best thoughts and most interesting- 
stones used with effect in his lectures. Being written by so dfstin? 
guished an author, and one so well fitted by his experience and ability 
to prepare a work of this kind, it is invaluable to parents and teachers 
who wish to impress upon young people Bible truths in an ordinal 
interesting manner. Those persons who have occasion themselves to' 
prepare addresses or lectures upon these themes will find that this book 
contains exactly the material needed to embellish them and make 
them interesting. It is valued in thousands of homes, where it is read 
with equal pleasure by old and young, as it resembles no other book 
of the kind ever published, but has an originality and character all 



More than ONE HUNDRED full-page illustrations, many of them 
reproductions from famous originals, illustrate the scenes and add 
much to the beauty of the book. 



Hi PILGR IM'S P ROGRESS 

By JOHN BUNYAN 

a new plain type edition 
Containing One Hundred and Seventy Illustrations 

WITH A LIFE OF THE AUTHOR (ALSO ILLUSTRATED) 
423 Pages. Size, 7^ x 9% inches 



IT is said, no doubt with truth, that greater numbers of the " Pil- 
grim's Progress " have been printed and sent out than of any 

other book that has ever been written. It is certain that there is 
scarcely a language into which it has not been translated nor a coun- 
try in which it is not known, and it is read with interest by nearly all 
kinds of people. Children are delighted with the incidents of the 
story; learned men feel the spell of its genius and admire the beauty 
of its creations. The youth reads it for guidance and encouragement 
in his own journey through life, and the aged who have themselves 
passed through many of the dangers that beset Christian in his 
progress toward the Heavenly City turn to it for counsel and for the 
memories it awakens. 

It is indeed wonderful that any man should have created a book 
of such universal and enduring popularity as the " Pilgrim's Prog- 
ress," but more marvellous still that it should have been written in 
prison by an uneducated tinker — not as a supreme effort, but natu- 
rally and spontaneously as the thoughts came crowding with all 
their freshness into his untrained but original and fertile mind. This 
handsome new edition contains features which give it special value 
and presents the celebrated work in a most attractive form. 



BIBLES 



Various prices and styles of type and binding. Teachers' Bibles ; 
Family Bibles ; Bibles for School, Church, and Home 

THE best editions of Sunday School Teachers' Bibles, clear print, 
finest linen paper, with full charts and maps of Bible Lands. 
Containing aids and helps to the study of the Bible written by 
biblical scholars to assist students to the better understanding of the 
Scriptures ; Bibles with Dictionary and Concordance, with and with- 
out references, large and small type. Family Bibles in cloth and 
leather bindings, at moderate prices. 



Charles Foster Publishing Co., 716 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



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